Guardian
by Tsuyosa
Summary: TAKIN' A BREAK A bit of greed leads to the Goddess of Fire becoming Zukos Guardian. With an immortal on his side, will he be able to go home?No pairings.
1. Some Dreams Shouldn't Come True

Welcome! I have finally decided to start my story about Tsuyosa (from who I get my name) No, don't worry. I'M not in the story. Tsuyosa is a character whose name I liked. But enough of that, ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

CHAPTER ONE- Some Should NOT Come True

Zuko was mad at his uncle.

REALLY mad at his uncle.

If it weren't for the fact he was a war hero, his uncle would be burned to a crisp.

But being mad wouldn't help. Making it known he was mad would.

"I can't believe you dragged me out here!" He hissed. Zuko hated the market place, and it was well known.

"Prince Zuko, you have been on that ship non-stop for the past week. You should get out. Just think of it as training. Besides, you got that gem because you got out." Iroh pointed out.

This gem he was talking about was no ordinary gem, Zuko could tell. The craftsmanship was superb; each curve flowing to an invisible wind, the garnet and strange red stone mixed perfectly.

It would fetch a great price.

What? You thought he bought it for some artistic reason? The guy sold it for three copper pieces, and it was worth at least one hundred gold! Course, he said it was cursed or something, but who would believe THAT junk?

"I didn't get it for myself, uncle. I just need to find a good buyer to make a nice buck." The teen explained. Iroh just smiled.

"Whatever you say, Prince Zuko."

* * *

Zuko collapsed on the bed. He was unusually tired after training.

Of course, it was also midnight. That probably had something to do with it.

Sitting up, he began getting ready for bed. He then remembered the gem. Digging into his pocket, he grabbed the stone, looking at it confused.

Apparently, a legend about this gem was well known in these parts. Anyone who saw it began praying and ran away. So, he was stuck with it. At least it was only three copper pieces.

"Well, I've gotta do SOMETHING with it." He mumbled. By the looks of it, it used to be part of a necklace, and the clasp was still there. So, he grabbed a spare piece of string and quickly made a necklace.

Holding it up to a candle, Zuko noticed it was a bit transparent. Even the thick, red stone. Even stranger, there was a symbol in the center. A mark almost like the one for firebending, but it had an eye inside it. The prince could've sworn he'd seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where!

"Figures. I'll ask tomorrow…" He yawned, getting into bed and almost immediately to sleep.

* * *

It was a strange dream.

There was fire, and a girl.

She had long black hair and golden eyes. A garnet adorned her forehead and she wore fire nation armor, fit for a woman, of course. Her right arm had a sleek black glove and she was smirking in an all-knowing way.

Slowly, the woman (who now didn't look much older then him) walked over to the prince. Wanting to back off, Zuko fought is fear and stayed put.

"You are the Prince of Fire, are you not?" she asked. Her voice was still soft, but far from feminine. She was a warrior, not some housewife.

"Who are you?" Zuko demanded. They were only a foot apart, and determination was reflected in both their eyes.

"Is that any way to ask? Prince of Fire, you are still young, but you should pay attention more often." The girl smiled. Zuko glared.

"Who are you?" He asked, softer but with more hatred.

"Tsuyosa."

* * *

Zuko slowly awakened, not opening his eyes. He just stayed like that, burying his face into the softness next to him. It smelled good, like burnt pine.

Wait, this was his room. No one else should be here.

"WHAT THE HELL?" he yelled, sitting up and almost falling out of bed. A girl was lying next to where he was. Right next to where he was.

"Good morning, Prince of Fire."

It was the girl from his dreams.

* * *

A/N- OKAY! Done with the first part! I'm sorry if Zuko was a bit OOC, but admit it, it's kinda hard to avoide!

R&R


	2. You're A WHAT!

Hahaha…umm… yeah… I already wrote this chapter, but it went horribly wrong. So, if you don't get it once, try again!

Cause if you don't, you'd still be in kindergarten.

Replies (I have them already!)

evil-gurl13- no. and thanks for the Review!

Mallaidh- thanks. And I had to explain, or else people would yell at me.

NOW we can start.

* * *

CHAPTER 2: You're A WHAT!

"Who in the seven layers of hell are you?" Zuko yelled. Logically, a hot girl on his bed in a locked room would be a good thing, but Zuko wasn't always logical.

The girl simply sat up, smiling at the prince.

"I believe we went over this, scarface." Zuko winced at the insult.

"Who The Hell Do You Think You're Calling-"

"I'm Tsuyosa." She said, cutting the rampage short.

'Tsuyosa, Tsuyosa… I've heard that somewhere…'

"I'll remember to put that on your grave!" He yelled, shooting a fireblast. Tsuyosa merely caught it in one hand and smashed it with the other.

"Either you suck at history or I didn't make NEARLY a big enough impact last time." The girl grinned. The prince was shocked for a moment, that blast could've sent Zhao back (insulting Zuko meant death), but she caught it like a child's ball! The surprise was short lived, though, and the teen became more insulted. This girl was treating him like a kid!

"Like I care!" he shouted, shooting another blast, and three more after that.

"Anna' one anna' two anna' three anna' four!" Tsuyosa laughed, catching the flames and juggling.

This made Zuko mad.

This mad him REALLY mad.

This girl had to DIE.

But he wasn't going to ask anyone to help. I mean, it's just one girl! What could possibly go wrong?

"CATCH!"

"Wha- shit!" Zuko barely dodged as the girl threw the flames back at him. Tsuyosa looked surprised.

"Oops, sorry. Normal firebenders can't do that, can they?"

Wait!

That was it!

Zuko knew what this girl was!

"You're insane, aren't you!" he yelled. The girl just grinned that know-it-all grin.

"I've been called that, yes. But in truth, you're WAY off base."

"Soo…you're psychotic?" he asked, not knowing the difference.

"Close, but no cigar. I am a Fire Goddess. THE Fire Goddess. You have a very short memory, don't you, scarface?"

"Will you lay off the Scar? I've never met you, how could I remember anything!" Zuko yelled. His head hurt.

"I told you two minutes ago. Remember; the fire, you were yelling at me, it was all glowing. Would've been quite romantic, actually." She said, not minding it was completely off topic.

Realizing it was the dream she was talking about, the princes eyes widened.

"A…Goddess?" He then remembered. Truthfully, he DID suck at history, but one lesson came back.

* * *

"Back when the Avatar was alive, there were four guardian Dragons." His teacher droned. Zuko was listening, more then usual, at least. Mythology was easy, just a buncha lies that he could wing it on. 

"The Guardians came down from the heavens to help the avatar keep peace, each one representing an element; one of water, one of earth, one of fire, and one of air. Depending on what nation the Avatar was born into, the corresponding dragon would merge with him, giving him God-like powers over that element. The other three were said to take the forms of humans and help the Avatar in disguise."

"If they were in disguise, how do we know they were there?" Zuko asked, half curious.

"That is because the Avatar would know. No matter where they met or under what circumstances, the Avatar would trust them. But one dragon in particular would always stay the same; the Dragon of Fire. This dragon would always take the form of a young woman with black hair and the brightest golden eyes. Along with the the prized treasure of Fire: the Eternal Flame."

* * *

"Holy shit… You're the Dragon!" Zuko didn't bother to hide his surprise. Of course, the gem! That must be the Eternal Flame! 

"Holy shit, you just insulted a God!" Tsuyosa yelled in mock anger.

"Jeez, took ya long enough to catch on." Sighing, she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Look, we've spent enough time arguing, as shocking as it is, I'm here for a reason." Seriously, she gave a no-turning-this-down glare to the prince.

"I'm here to help the Avatar, but this time it's more then that. This time, I also need to get the throne back to the real Fire Lord." She grinned again.

"And since you're slow, I make this easy. I'm getting back your honor, your land, and making you king. All with style, if I have anything to say about it, Scarface."

* * *

YoHoHo! It WORKED! Just like she should be! (**throws small party)** Kay, my wrist REALLY hurts and it's late, so I'll start writing as soon as I can! 

R&R


	3. Yugasa, the Water Dragon

Yay! Yay! Yay! Chap-ter-THREE! Haha, I would like to thank everyone who read and reviewed, along with my mom, who saved my ass for one of the Dragons. And it's WAY harder to get Zuko off that damn ship then I thought

Mallaidh- thank you! One of my first reviewers!

Arekisu- Yay! A fave? Yay!

Nikki Satoshi- hmm, your name sounds familiar…. Oh well. I tried using italics, but it didn't work. I'll try next time.

* * *

CHAPTER THREE- Yugasa, The Water Dragon

* * *

The prince had been pacing the room for almost half an hour, stopping a few times to say something, but seemed to have lost the ability to talk. 

"You-" he tried, but just started walking again.

"I?" Tsuyosa asked calmly. Honestly, she found this quite funny, mortals were hilarious sometimes.

"Why are you-"

"Avatar- help. You- throne. Peace- world." She answered without hearing the question.

Mortals were also stupid sometimes.

Zuko, head spinning, finally sat down next to the dragon.

"You're asking me to OVERTHROW my FATHER. Do have any idea how close I was to him KILLING me!" Tsuyosa smiled, throwing her arm over the prince's shoulder, which he immediately shook off.

"Touchy. Anyway, I'm not asking YOU ALONE to overthrow your dad. Like you said, he almost killed you once. I'm going to help you!" Somehow, that didn't make him feel better.

"Why did the crazy dragon have to help me?" he asked the wall. He was answered by a conk on the head.

"Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it. But you don't have to worry, I have a plan." Zuko looked skeptical.

"First, we need to find the Avatar!" his face fell.

"If I knew that, I'd already be back home." He was growing to hate that grin.

"You just haven't been able to capture him. We're going to TALK to him. Face it, without the Avatar, we're screwed." Zuko glared. Tsuyosa sighed.

"He also has my sister dragon with him. We'll need her, to." This time his eyes widened.

"He has a Dragon with him? I've never seen her." You would think he could see a Dragon Goddess. What he could see, though, was the sudden anger and sadness on this dragons face.

"Yugasa, she doesn't know she's a dragon."

"How could you forget?"

"Because, she broke the rule: she fell in love."

* * *

"_Tsuyosa, I have something to tell you" the water dragon whispered. Tsuyosa looked strangely at her. Yugasa didn't normally seem so insecure. _

"_Yugasa, what happened?" the girl looked close to tears._

"_I'm not going back." The red dragon was shocked. _

"_Not going back! Yugasa, we have to go back! We have sixteen years until the Avatar will awaken! We have to regain our strength!" Yugasa shook her head, smiling. Tsuyosa finally understood._

"_I told you not to get attached to that man, Yugasa. You know what will happen to him, to you…"_

"_If his fate is set, I will stay with him until it comes to past. Tsuyosa, I love this man. As weak and strange as it is, I don't want to see him die alone!" Tsuyosa sighed, the only other dragon as hard-headed as her. There was no way to change her mind now._

"_Just, please be careful."_

"_Yugasa! Yugasa!" Tsuyosa flew across the icy grounds, a mere breeze to the humans. _

"_Yugasa! Please don't! Please don't!" there, being held by a small boy, was the Dragon of Water, covered in blood._

"_Momma! Momma!" the boy yelled. Nearby, a small girl cried along with her brother. _

"_Sokka! Sokka, what happened to Momma!" she choked. _

"_Yugasa!" A man yelled, running over to his fallen wife. _

"_What a pitiful way to die." Tsuyosa looked up at the Firebender, anger filling her eyes. _

'_This man. This man has dirtied the honor of the Fire Nation!'_

"_You'll pay for this!" she and the man yelled in unison. _

"_Tsuyosa…" the dragon turned. Facing her was Yugasa. Her spirit, at least._

"_Tsuyosa, this is my fault. And the Avatar is only a few years away…" Tsuyosa was speechless. Her friend had died protecting her children, and she was mad at herself?_

"_Yugasa, this is not your fault…"_

"_I won't let you and Chikara fight alone. Tsuyosa, please," She looked sadly at her children, still weeping over their mother, "Please keep them safe." A light glowed deep inside the Yugasa's chest, the absolute heart of the dragon. Slowly, she flew towards her daughter, causing a spiritual aura to engulf the child. And as the aura faded, the girl fell back; her family thinking the blood was too much._

_But Tsuyosa understood. There was a new Water Dragon, in the form of a small girl the Goddess fondly called Katara._

* * *

A/N- BWAHAHAHA!This has to be thecheesist plot EVER!AndI turned Katara into a Goddess!I just need to create one more Dragon and that'll be all I have to worry about! I'm sorry this is so short, I'll try to make the next one longer. 

Side notes- the Dragons names all mean something, so here they are-

Tsuyosa- Strength (I should've given this to Earth, but that dragon didn't exist when I named her)

Yugasa- Grace (this one speaks for itself)

Chikara- Power (yeah, this was to replace the whole "strength" thing. It means the same, pretty much. This is the Earth Dragon)

R&R


	4. Barracades and New Found Hate

Bla, bla bla…. Welcome to my next chapter! I'm sorry the last one was so cheesy, but how else was I to explain where the Water Dragons was? I still don't know who the Earth dragon will be.

evil-gurl13- actually, two chapters in one day. And this is my second chapter in the second day.

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR- Decisions, A Barricade and A New-Found Hate

* * *

"So, that girl traveling with the Avatar… that's a Dragon Goddess!" Zuko was more then a bit surprised. Tsuyosa nodded.

"So, is that enough of a reason to meet the Avatar?"

"You say it like I haven't before. We're practically on a first-name basis." The girl's eyes widened.

"Call the Papers! Scarface made a joke!" Zuko glared.

"WILL YOU LAY OFF THE SCAR!"

* * *

"So, let me get this straight…" Iroh started, looking strangely at the two teens (or teen-like)

"You need to leave for an island off the shores of the Earth Kingdom to fight the Avatar with only this girl, Tsuyosa, as back-up. This in turn might cause you not to be back for a while, so you want the ship to find a perminant dock until you get back?" the two nodded.

"Prince Zuko, if you wanted to go on a date, you could just say so." The prince blushed.

"I- It's NOT a Date! It's exactly what I said it was! We're going to find the Avatar, but I need you to stay and watch over the ship until we get back!" Tsuyosa was barely holding back her laughter. Iroh sighed.

"If you say so, Prince Zuko. Just be careful." Without a second word, they left.

* * *

"You might not be back for a while, you sure you want to leave it at that?" Tsuyosa asked. The two were boarding the small ship, and the dragon wasn't sure Zuko was okay.

"My uncle is a war hero, I'm sure he can take care of himself." The firebender said, point-blank. Sighing, Tsuyosa boarded as well.

'I'm not worried about him, scarface. You're the one that might die…'

"So, do we even know where to go?" she asked. The ship was off, and now was the time to turn back.

"I have some maps that show the path the Avatar seems to be following." Zuko said from the wheel. Curious, Tsuyosa picked up one of the maps and slowly, her face fell.

"What path?"

"That's what our problem is." Turning back to the dragon, he asked,

"Do you know how to steer this?"

"Not a clue." He sighed.

"Kay then, I'll show you." He gestured for her to the wheel, and she did.

(Lest not to make a fool of my lack of knowledge about boats, insert "how not to make a boat crash 101" here)

"Okay, got it!" Tsuyosa said with a smile.

"You sure?"

"Great. Then I'm gonna go take a look at the maps, you just keep steering." Zuko said and walked off.

"Cool. Now, what steers this thing again?" she mumbled under her breath.

They somehow managed to stay in control for a few hours before Zuko decided to take over.

"I think they're going somewhere up north, but that could be over half the Earth Kingdom or-"

"They're heading to the North Pole to learn Waterbending. I thought…you…knew…" Tsuyosa said under Zuko's glare.

"You thought to keep this to yourself WHY!" She winced, then her eyes widened.

"BIG SHIP! BIG SHIP!" she yelled. Zuko barely was able to avoid the Fire Navy vessel before another launched a fireball. This one they couldn't avoid.

"Keep steering! I got it!" Tsuyosa commanded. Quickly, she got control of the blast and threw it into the ocean.

"I don't understand! We aren't anywhere near Fire Nation waters!" the dragon laughed nervously, and Zuko glared.

"We AREN'T near FIRE NATION WATERS, _ARE WE!_" he hissed.

"Umm, define _near_." She said before throwing another fireball into the water. Zuko was now turning the ship around. The Avatar was going north, no reason to stay here.

"I was _BANISHED_! What part of that don't you understand!"

"I didn't know they divided the WATERS! And I don't think sailing's my thing!" after a few moments, the two froze as a sickening crack followed by a loud boom rang from below deck, and the boat stopped.

They were still in Fire Nation waters.

"I hate you." Zuko said flatly. The catapults stopped launching, there was no need. The Ship was floating back at them.

"Yeah, I hate me to."

* * *

A/N- I think I'll leave it there. So far, this is my longest story. (throws small party, but stops) Man, that's kinda lame…

REVIEWS KEEP ME ALIVE!

Well, not ALIVE, but they keep me writing...


	5. Goddess or Monster or What?

Oy, I'm running out of things to say. Let's just answer reviews.

**EVIL-GURL13 READ THIS**

evil-gurl13- kay, I like the review, don't get me wrong, but I've said this twice:

ZUKO DOES NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH TSUYOSA.

TSUYOSA DOES NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH ZUKO.

Mallaidh- Well, I TRIED to put this up yesterday, but couldn't finish it. I don't think I'll make it Haru, but, then I'm left with nothing….hmmm….

**How about you vote! Tell me who you want to be the Earth Dragon otherwise it'll be an OC.**

Red Hawk K'sani- (does favorites dance) COOL! And I tried to put comic relief into all my stories; I guess this one took to it well.

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE- God, Monster, It's all the Same

* * *

"I hate you." Zuko re-stated for the sixth time. He and Tsuyosa were chained to opposite walls of each other; hands above their heads and about two inches off the ground.

"Yes, yes. You said thatsix times already: once on the ship, once when we were fighting, twice as we were dragged down here, and again two minutes ago." Tsuyosa sighed.

"That's _five_ times. Besides, I hate you now more then I did two minutes ago."

"Well, maybe if you got out in the sun more then once a month, you'd have a brighter disposition!" the dragon snapped.

"What does THAT mean?" Zuko glared.

"You're as white as a frekin' GHOST!"

"Yeah, so what! Tell me how an 'All-knowing being" like yourself can't figure out how to steer a damn ship!"

"Freak!"

"Idiot dragon!"

"Scarface!"

"WILL YOU LAY OFF THE DAMN SCAR?"

"IT TAKES UP HALF OF YOUR FREAKIN FACE! HOW CAN I NOT NOTICE!"

"Now, now, children. Quite down." The two turned at the deep voice.

Newly promoted Admiral Zhao stood in the doorway, an arrogant grin on his face.

Tsuyosa saw red.

"Let us go! We were turning around and did nothing to issue an attack for!" Zuko yelled. That wasn't entirely true, they were trying to dethrone the Fire Lord, but Zhao didn't need to know that.

"Have you really forgotten you were _banished_, Prince Zuko?" Zuko glared.

'No. but SOMEONE did.' It was then that he noticed the smoke around. Zhao seemed to notice it, to. Looking up, the prince saw that it was coming from Tsuyosa.

'Holy shit!'

The dragon was breathing heavily, teeth had grown into fangs which she bore, and she was glaring at Zhao.

"What is this, Zuko?" Zhao hid his bit of nervousness well as he asked the prince. But the teen could only guess.

"I think you made her mad. But, that's just a guess."

* * *

'This bastard…'

Flashes of Yugasa's death danced in the memory.

'This bastard _killed_ her…'

"You killed her…" He hissed.

"What?" the man was confused. But Zuko caught on.

"You're telling me, ZHAO killed the Water Dragon!" The Admiral did not like being out of the loop, and punched Zuko in the face, annoyed.

"What is wrong with you're girlfriend, boy!" The teen spat out a bit of the blood in his mouth and grinned up at the man.

"One, she's not my girlfriend. Two, I'm not a child. And three, you killed a God."

Less then a second after the words left the prince's mouth, the chains holding Tsuyosa broke. Not missing the beat, she landed and shot the Admiral point-blank in the face, killing him.

No, wait. Sorry, that didn't happen, this did.

Not missing a beat, she landed, shot _past_ the Admiral's head and body, freeing Zuko. As the teen hit the ground, Tsuyosa knocked the older man to the side, grabbed the prince and ran.

"AFTER THEM!" Zhao yelled.

* * *

"WHY IN THE HELL DIDN'T YOU KILL HIM! Zuko asked, yanking his hand back and running along side the girl.

"After you're king, I'm gonna make him suffer! Till then, your safety's first!" Guards swarmed onto deck, surrounding them.

"Yeah, this is safe."

"Oh, shut up and fight."

The next minute was full of flames. Zuko and Tsuyosa shot mercilessly at the soldiers, bringing over half the group down. But the next half had Zhao.

And archers. They also had archers.

"Ignite!" The admiral ordered.

And, now they had flaming arrows.

Tsuyosa grinned. This now worked to her advantage.

"Scarface, know how I controlled all those fireblasts?"

"Yeah" Facing the archers high above the deck, Zuko braced himself.

"Here's how to do it: those arrows are your fire."

"FIRE!"

"And that fire's in your hand."

Slowly, Zuko reached his hand out towards the arrows, and just like he did when he was holding a small flame, he grabbed it.

Two of the arrows flickered out and fell.

A bit surprised, a wicked grin spread across his face. This would do.

With the two able to stop the arrows and fight, they quickly made their way to the side of the ship.

"Okay, now what?" they were surrounded, and behind them was a long fall to the ocean.

"You know how to swim?" Tsuyosa asked, taking hold of the prince's hand.

"Oh, hell n-" Tsuyosa jumped over the edge, dragging him with her.

* * *

The soldiers ran to see them resurface, but the two never came up.

"Admiral Zhao, what do we do now?" one of them asked. Zhao looked as if he was going to kill someone, but that soon disappeared.

'That girl… was not human…' he grinned. A monster like that was something that needed to be controlled. And if he had it under HIS control, he could possibly go as far as to over throw the Fire Lord.

"Issue an alert to all other ships; tell them not to hold back, but keep them alive."

Why shouldn't he? He was an Admiral, second in line, and he always wanted more power.

* * *

And that's chapter five!

And I thought of something to say:

Pipinpaddleopsicopolos!

The Third!

…Just sayin'… R&R!


	6. Arguments

I don't know if this has been obvious, but I have NO idea where this story is going. I've been wingin' it chapter by chapter, so I'm glad you like my randomness.

I also noticed that I didn't put a disclaimer, so, here it is:

Disclaimer- Let's see, if I owned Avatar, this would be on the air, and there'd be more fights between Zhao and Zuko.

* * *

CHAPTER SIX- Arguments That Go Nowhere

* * *

When Tsuyosa awoke, she immediately noticed one thing:

There was sand EVERYWHERE.

"What the hell?" She mumbled, sitting upright. It was night already, and next to her she saw Zuko, fast asleep.

Or unconscious, same same.

"Wait, oh, that's right…" she then remembered what had happened.

* * *

(yay, flashback!)_

* * *

_

_Tsuyosa and Zuko took a deep breath before hitting the water. Crashing into the waves, it became apparent to the dragon that the prince couldn't swim **(1)**_

'_Idiot! Why didn't he say something?' she thought. Quickly, she grabbed the teen and made her way to the surface. But as soon as the two could take a breath, a wave knocked them back under._

_Spiraling downwards, Zuko was panicking, keeping a tight hold on Tsuyosa's hand. Turning, the dragon saw why. Zhao's ship was heading right for them._

_Twisting around, she began swimming down, dragging Zuko with her. The boy looked utterly confused as to why they were going away from air, but did his best to keep up. For a second, it looked like Zhao was going to hit them, but in the end, the ship passed over them; motor and all._

_Now to get back up._

_In the wake of the boat, huge waves knocked the two around. Racing to the surface, Tsuyosa could feel her head spinning, and Zuko had stopped moving._

'_No, No! You are NOT dieing on me, scarface!' her lungs felt like they were going to crack, and her ears had to be bleeding, which would attract all sort of problems._

_Finally, they broke the surface. Gasping, the dragon lifted Zuko onto her back for him to maybe get air **(2)**. Looking around, there seemed to be a bit of land up ahead. It was a long shot with Tsuyosa being so tired, but she had to try._

"_If you live, you owe me big, scarface."_

* * *

"I guess I passed out. But we seemed to have made it!" Slowly, she crawled over to the prince. He seemed paler then normal, but no signs of injury.

"No breathing…" She mumbled. Looking up at the starry sky, she glared.

"I bet you're having a good laugh about this, aren't you?**(3)**" Sighing, she looked back at the unconscious teen.

"Where the hell's a Waterbender when you need one?" Closing her eyes and praying he didn't wake up, Tsuyosa pressed her lips to Zukos and tried to get air back in his lungs.

'It's not a kiss. It's NOT a kiss!' she thought, trying it a few more times. After about a minute, she leaned back as the prince began coughing up water. In no time, he was sitting upright, alert and wondering where the hell he was.

"You gave me a scare." Tsuyosa laughed. Zuko glared.

"I tried to tell you: I CAN'T SWIM!" he yelled.

"Well, we're alive. That's all that matters!" Standing, she dusted herself off as much as possible. Zuko followed, wobbling just a bit.

"Where are we?" he asked. Another nervous laugh from the dragon made his stomach drop. This wouldn't be good.

"Well, the ship went that way," she pointed north, "and we were only a mile or two behind it, so…"

"We're still in the Fire Nation…" Zuko groaned.

"I hate you." He said, sitting back down. Tsuyosa glared.

"Well maybe I should have left your sorry ass on that boat of yours so you could go in circles the rest of your life!" she yelled.

"Maybe you should've! At least then I would be alive!"

"You are alive, Mr. I-can't-swim-but-I'll-let-the-goddess-drag-me-overboard!"

"I tried to tell you, Miss Can't-steer-a-simple-boat!" He yelled back. Getting up, he began walking into the small forest behind them.

"Where do you think you're going!" Tsuyosa yelled.

"I don't have time to waste on you! If I'm stuck here, I won't starve to death!" he growled, not looking back. Within moments, he was gone.

"Wa-wait! You don't know what's in there! GET BACK HERE, SCARFACE!" without pausing, she ran after him.

* * *

(1) I have never, NEVER, been afraid of water or not been able to swim (I scared the hell outta my mom when I was 6 months old) so I don't know what people who can't swim feel like.

(2) Could he have breathed? (sweatdrop)

(3) Case you couldn't tell, she's yelling at the God/Gods of the universe.


	7. Golden Eyes, Silver Tears

Bwahaha! Behold the once in a lifetime event-

One of my characters CRIES!

No, not Zuko, don't worry. Now, reviews. Because of my amazing ability to dump stuff outta my head fast, I only have one.

Red Hawk K'sani ()- haha, thanks. Ah, yeah, I've mentioned before (my profile) I _really_ suck at spelling. Sorry…

Here are some notes, to-

Hikari- means "Light"

Yami- means "darkness"

Junsuisa- means "purity" is the Air Dragon

Demon- that speaks for itself

_

* * *

_

_**CHAPTER SEVEN- Golden Eyes, Silver Tears**_

* * *

"Scarface! Scarface!" Tsuyosa called, walking through the thick forest. "Damn, how did he get so far already?" She was now getting worried. She had come across more then a few unfriendly creatures, some actually hurting her.

"I don't like the looks of this…" she entered a clearing covered in bones. Most were animals; big cats and lizards, but there were also a few human remains.

"I think I've seen this before…"

* * *

"_Tsuyosa! Tsuyosa, we aren't allowed over there!" Yugasa yelled after the fire dragon. _

"_Says who? Did you forget we're Gods?" Tsuyosa grinned over a huge fallen tree._

"_Lady Hikari and Lord Yami both said never to go to the lands to the east! Chikara and Junsuisa agree!" the brunette informed worriedly. The golden-eyed girl just stuck her tongue out and kept walking._

"_If we listened to everything those old fogies said, we would never leave to help the Avatar!" She laughed, hearing the water dragon following._

"_But-"_

"_Besides, I came from the east, right? Can't I see my homeland?"_

"_But Tsuyosa, I've heard nothing but evil-" the water girl stopped at her friends glare._

"_I know, Yugasa, but I have to see for myself. I've seen the way the Lord and Lady look at me; like I'm filth. I want to know what made the Fire Dragon so bad."_

_After a few minutes of silent walking, the two came across a strangely dense part of forest._

"_We should turn back…"_

"_Why? Like I always say: if you can't go straight-" taking a huge leap, Tsuyosa landed on the lowest branch of a huge tree, "go over!" As soon as she landed, though, the Fire Dragon saw a gruesome sight._

_Bodies, some skeletal, some fresh, littered the ground just beyond the wall of trees. Eyes wide, she heard a roar from across the dead land._

"_Tsuyosa? Tsuyosa, what's wrong?" Yugasa called from below, but the fire dragon didn't hear. She was staring back a huge cat-like beast. It had huge fangs and red eyes, its coat black as night and strange wing-like scales protruding from its back._

_Quickly, Tsuyosa jumped down. _

"_Tsuyosa?" Yugasa asked again, but was once again ignored._

"_C'mon, I don't feel like going to the east." The fire girl huffed, walking back. Confused, the water dragon followed._

'_Those eyes…What the hell is a demon doing here? What is going on in the east?'_

* * *

"No, it can't be…" quickly, Tsuyosa ran through the clearing. It couldn't be a demon! The four Dragons were the only magical beings that could come to the human world. Anything else would either be sent back or killed.

'Zuko, please be okay!'

* * *

"Damn girl!" Zuko cursed. He had found a good clearing in the forest and decided to set up camp there. When he was walking, he noticed the creatures got smaller the further in he got, so this should've been the safest place. Roughly, he started a fire and sat, not hungry anymore.

"Damn, stupid, dragon!" he couldn't help it, that dragon was stuck in his head. At first he thought it was his damn hormones, but this felt different then a crush or that love crap. It kinda felt like… When his mom used to tell him she loved him.

"DAMN IT!" he yelled. And now his mind was pushing stupid thoughts to the surface.

"Oh, just kill me now…" suddenly, he heard a growl from behind him. Jumping to his feet, he turned to look up at a huge cat. It blended into the sky and had strange, scale wings. What surprised Zuko the most, though, were its eyes.

The prince had never heard of a creature with red eyes.

Without warning, the cat swiped at the teen, missing by inches.

"Shit!" he hissed. Igniting his fist, he braced himself for another attack. Without fail, the beast got back on its hind legs, and crashed down with tremendous force. Keeping his balance, the teen rushed forward and shot at its feet. Pathetic, but the thing was just below the trees.

And they were BIG trees.

The cat hissed in pain and somehow glared at the prince. Again, Zuko prepared for the attack.

But not for flight.

Wind swirled around the prince as the beast took off, heading east, as far as Zuko could tell.

"Zuko? Zuko!" he turned to see Tsuyosa standing at the edge of the clearing. She looked out of breath and relieved.

"What?" he asked, stubbornly acting mad, even though he had forgotten the argument. Running forward, the dragon couldn't help but hug the prince.

"I-I thought the demon- Scarface, you idiot!" she managed through tears.

Zuko was more then startled. Why was she crying? Nothing happened, and she was only helping him to fulfill her duty. He also noticed two things: one, she was, like, three inches shorter then him. And two,

"Demon?" she looked up at him, still crying.

"That's how I found you. I saw it fly off…"

"Yeah, after I attacked it, it flew off. You mean THAT was a demo-" He was cut off as Tsuyosa punched him in the side of the head.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU _ATTACKED_ IT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED! I WAS WORRIED SICK AND YOU GO OUT FIGHTING SOMETHING THAT COULD'VE KILLED YOU!" Even though she was yelling and beating him over the head, Zuko couldn't help but smile at the facts.

She was worried about him.

* * *


	8. Flying Demons, Flying Bison

Here ya go! I'll have waited a day or two to post this, so that I could stretch the story out.

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT- Flying Cats and Flying Bison

* * *

After her little cry, it had taken Tsuyosa no time to be back to her stubborn, laid-back self.

"To bad that thing killed your campsite, it was pretty good!" She laughed. Zuko, on the other hand, was having a harder time wrapping his mind around the idea he had just fought a _DEMON_. But as much as he asked the dragon to explain, she just ignored him.

This made him even angrier.

"What is so important that you have to keep that thing a secret?" he yelled.

"Bah, you worry too much! C'mon, I'm hungry!" fuming, the prince followed her, determined for answers.

"A ten ton DEMON just flew off to the Fire Nation, and you're worried about FOOD!" Tsuyosa turned to glare at him.

"Of course I'm worried about a demon being here, but unless you can fly, there's not much we can do."

"You're supposed to be a God or whatever, can't you do something other then fancy firebending?" Sighing, the girl picked some berries before continuing to walk.

"I'm in human form to blend in. If I unleashed my power on earth, it would cause more panic then that demon would. The best the Gods could do was to give me some of the most powerful Firebending. You saw me on that bastard's ship, and that was barely anything." A bit surprised at the memory, Zuko guessed they had to deal.

But, the Gods could've at least given her a guardian animal or something.

* * *

"We spent almost an hour searching, and we only got a handful of barriers." Zuko sighed. It was a few past Sunrise, and the two were sitting, exhausted, back at the beach.

"If you want to be poisoned, be my guest." Tsuyosa said, falling back.

"I'm beginning to wonder why I left my ship behind."

"Hey, why did you, anyway?" the girl asked, not moving.

"I figured if I DID go back to the Fire Nation, I didn't want my uncle to get in trouble, to. Not that I _PLANNED_ to go back…" he explained, glaring. The dragon sighed.

"Are you still mad about that?"

"Yes." Grabbing a few of the barriers, he tossed a few onto the girls face and ate a couple of his own.

"Thanks." She replied flatly.

"No problem."

* * *

(5:24 pm)

* * *

"Scarface…"

"I told you…to lay off…the scar…" the two were sprawled out on the beach, quite a funny sight if you ignored the fact they were dehydrated and probably going to die.

"I don't know if I can die…"

"Well, good for you. Do me a favor, when I die, could you tell my dad he's a bastard…?"

"Can do…"

They didn't know how long the silence went on, but sometime before they passed out, a huge flying beast with an arrow on its head flew over them. Their eyes widened.

"You saw that, right?" Tsuyosa asked, wobbly standing. Zuko nodded as he stood, to. The two grinned, taking off in a dead run, a new found strength taking over. The Flying bison had landed maybe a mile away from what they could tell.

"They. Might. Not trust. Me. Ya know." Zuko panted.

"Then I'll send you a post card!"

* * *

"Aang, why are we here? This is Fire Nation waters, you know." Sokka asked, following his sister and the Avatar.

"I had a vision, remember? There are two people who I'm supposed to meet here, and I think I know both of them." Aang smiled. The people were friendly, he just knew it.

"If you're sure, but what are we going to do once we meet them?" Katara asked. The boy shrugged.

"Dunno, but something will come to me."

"Yeah, it's worked _so_ well the other times." Sokka said sarcastically.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" the three turned at the yell. There, running towards them on the beach, were two teens. One was a girl with black hair in Fire Nation armor, and the other was defiantly Zuko.

"I knew coming here was a bad idea!" Sokka hissed, bracing himself for an attack. Katara and Aang did the same, but as the two slowed down to a walk as to not seem hostile, the Airbender suddenly relaxed.

"Guys, I think I'm supposed to meet them here." He said quietly.

"Are you insane? That's _Zuko_! As in, the guy that's been chasing us for months!" the worrier yelled, not letting his guard down.

"Think about it Sokka. We didn't see any ships around, and they both look tired. I think they're stuck here!" Aang tried to explain. Sighing, the siblings put away their weapons.

"Fine, but I still don't trust them."

* * *

"Yeah, I don't think they're going to help us." Zuko stated he and Tsuyosa slowing to a walk. The dragon looked saddened.

"He'll help us. He's the Avatar, and no matter what, the Avatar will trust the dragons. Besides, I have to see Yugasa again…"

The two stopped to see if they were going to be attacked or not, and to the prince's surprise, the Water Tribe kids put away their weapons.

"C'mon!" Tsuyosa smiled, pulling the teen forward. They ran to the others, out of breath and praying they had water.

"Stay Back!" the boy yelled, stopping them a few feet away. They stopped.

"Oh, come on!" the prince exclaimed, but Tsuyosa promptly hit him over the head.

"Why you little!" he hissed. Too annoyed to think straight, he hit back, right in the arm.

"Hey! Where are your manners, little rich boy!" the dragon yelled, punching back.

"You no for a fact I'm no snot-nosed spoiled snob!"

"Little-sissy-scarface!"

"STOP IT WITH THE-"

"HEY!" Aang yelled, having enough of their fighting. The two stopped and stared at the Avatar, just about to hit each other. Sokka was laughing out loud and Katara was giggling violently.

"My apologies. We…had an accident-"

"That was entirely your fault." Zuko cut in. Tsuyosa glared.

"And ended up stranded here. We couldn't find water and are a bit in need." The prince gave a little huff.

"Trust me, if we weren't, we wouldn't be talking to you."

"Shut it, scarface!" the dragon hissed. Zuko decided to ignore it.

"Umm, I had a vision earlier. I think I'm supposed to meet you two…" Aang said nervously. Tsuyosa grinned and gave a deep bow. The three were surprised. Zuko ignored it.

"My name is Tsuyosa, and I am one of the Four Elemental Dragons. I have come to help you with your mission, Avatar." The three stared at her.

"Wait, if you're here to help Aang, why is HE here?" Sokka asked, pointing to Zuko, who glared. Tsuyosa gave a small smile.

"Ah, right. Well, normally, the dragons just help the Avatar, but the Fire Nation is in trouble, to. So, being the Fire Dragon, it is my duty to put the true Fire Lord back on the throne!" she explained, putting her arm on the prince's shoulder.

"Remove your arm or I will kill you."

"Right, right. You have that 'No touchy' thing." Zuko glared.

* * *

"Soo…. Let me get this straight: You're the Fire Dragon sent to help me and Zuko."

"Yep."

"And you're also here to help me find the other Dragons and defeat the Fire Lord."

"Yep." There was silence around the campfire. The three had allowed Tsuyosa and Zuko to join them given the dragon keep and eye on the prince. This both annoyed and insulted Zuko, but he agreed.

"You see where I got confused." The prince said dryly. Aang nodded.

"So, where do I find the three other dragons?" the boy asked.

"Actually, we just need to find ONE dragon." Tsuyosa said matter-of-factly. They didn't catch on.

"Tsuyosa's one dragon, the air one's in you, and the girl's the water one." The prince explained flatly.

"What?" the three said. Tsuyosa sighed.

"I think I'll explain things. Mr. insensitive's not good with this stuff" Zuko ignored her.

"The Fire Dragon's easy, that's me. The Air dragon was born into you, Aang. Every Avatar is born with the soul of their nation's dragon, so Junsuisa is in you. Now, the Water Dragon…is complicated…" she turned to face Katara.

"You're name is Katara, right." She nodded, and the dragon smiled sadly.

"Your mother…was no human. Yugasa was the Dragon of Water sent to earth to find the Avatar almost twenty years before he would arrive. That way, we could become part of the human life. But your mother found a man she loved, and refused to return to the heavens when we learned about the Fire Nations attack on her tribe…" Katara and Sokkas eyes were wide. She stayed, and got killed.

"Later on, she told dragon girl not to worry, and blended her powers with your soul. So now, _you_ are the new Water Dragon." Zuko finished. Sokka glared as his sister tried to soak all of that in.

"Hey, can't you even _pretend_ to care?" he growled.

"What? You want me to cry or something? She should be happy! This sorta means her mom's been with her the whole time." The prince said defiantly. Tsuyosa nodded and Katara smiled a little.

"But, I've never done much that you could call me a god for." The waterbender said.

"That's because you don't know how. I'm sure once you learn the basics, the rest will come easy!" the camp went quiet again.

"What do I do?" Aang asked.

"We find Chikara, and stop the Fire Lord from summoning-" The dragon was cut off as a loud bang rang behind them. The five jumped to their feet, turning to the forest down a little ways.

Slowly, a huge black cat with bright red eyes crawled out and faced them, teeth bared. The demon was back for a rematch.

"- Sozen…"

* * *

Ah-ha! Try to guess who the demon REALLY is!

R&R!


	9. Spirit

Ah, maybe I shouldn't have put that thing at the end of the last chapter. (sigh) oh well.

**halfatheory357**- thank you for pointing out Zuko would be dead. (laugh) Ah, let's just say the Avatar world is a place when it goes from crescent moon to full in 12 hours, so going without air for a while won't kill him.

Or, better yet, he didn't pass out till later and just didn't feel like talking.

And I also forget this is the anime section sometimes, so, sorry to those who wanted "youkai", but I think I'll keep it demon. If only because I always misspell "youkai"

And yes, crazy people will rule the world.

**Red Hawk K'sani**- I actually DO use Microsoft Word, but it always changes it to things I KNOW aren't right. So, I do my best.

* * *

CHAPTER NINE- Spirit

* * *

The children stared up at the beast, who stared back menacingly.

"Don't…panic…" Tsuyosa whispered, though she didn't know why. It was just a rule to be quiet when you're scared.

"I've fought it before; I can just kill it this time!" Zuko hissed. The dragon shook her head.

"No. Look at it. When you fought it, you burned it, but it doesn't have any injures now. This thing is beyond our league." She turned to look at the others. They were frozen in fear, barely breathing.

"What…the hell…is that?" Sokka managed to gasp.

"I'll explain later. Aang?" The Avatar managed to nod, listening.

"Can the bison fly?"

"Appa should be able to fly." Tsuyosa grinned weakly.

"Then, on three, we make a run for the bison. One…two…" The beast began to run at them.

"THREE!" The children ran, forgetting the things scattered across the beach. Hopping onto Appa, Aang yelled,

"YIP-YIP! YIP-YIP!" Quickly, the bison took off, leaving the island behind. Aang, Sokka, and Katara sighed in relief.

"Keep going! Faster!" Tsuyosa ordered. The three looked confused.

"Did you not SEE the freakin WINGS! THAT THING CAN FLY!" Zuko yelled. They paled. Looking over the saddle, Katara, Sokka, Tsuyosa and the prince saw the Youkai spread its scaly wings and fly after them.

"Oh, shit." Sokka said.

"Appa! I'm sorry, and I know your ti-"

"JUST SPEED UP YOU DAMN BISON!" Tsuyosa and Zuko yelled. Appa gave a disgruntled groan, but flew faster then they thought possible. Even then, though, the beast kept following.

"You must've really pissed it off when you fought, Zuko!" Katara yelled, holding Momo.

"I didn't know! How could I have known?"

"HIT THE DECK!" Tsuyosa yelled, pushing the prince down, Sokka and Katara following suit. Appa took a nose dive, barely missing a huge fire blast.

"AND NOW IT SPITS FIRE!" Sokka exclaimed, frustrated.

"Consider yourself lucky, Zuko. You get to die with a girl on top of you!" Katara grinned. The prince glared, but blushed at the fact Tsuyosa's face was right next to his.

"It's nothing like that! And get offa me!" He yelled, shoving the dragon to the side. Tsuyosa glared a bit, but the next blast caught her attention.

"Forget them. Zuko, we need to redirect the blasts. Ready?" the prince nodded, and the two stood the best they could, facing the beast.

"I've got an idea to get rid of it, just keep the blasts away for a bit." The dragon commanded. Zuko nodded.

"You guys stay down, got it?" the teen said.

"Don't worry about us. We're safe."

Without further ado, the cat shot a blast of fire. Zuko easily found the source of power, and did his best to push it away. He got most of it, but a few embers got by, hitting the bison. Katara and Sokka got them out.

"_**Grande bête d'Oh d'enfer**" _Tsuyosa started, the jewel on her forehead on something on the back started glowing red, and her eyes soon followed, getting brighter with every word.

"_**revenez à l'endroit duquel vous êtes venus**"_ Zuko glanced over as the wind whipped around her, revealing a flame made of garnet and a strange red stone embedded on the back of the dragons neck.

The Eternal Flame.

"_**laissez le jugement de règne de dieux**"_ The beast was beginning to glow a golden-purple as it struggled to keep flying. Obviously, it had stopped firing.

"_**pour les péchés attachés à votre nom vrai**_

_**I, Tsuyosa de la flamme, vous commandent**_

_**Indiquez-vous**_

_**Et élasticité dedans à la lumière vraie!**" _The four stared in awe as Tsuyosa and the demon shot high into the sky; the cat golden and purple, the dragon red. Slowly, Tsuyosa began to glow brighter and brighter until the aura took the shape of a red dragon. The beast's aura also grew, taking the shape of a man. A royal of the Fire Nation.

"Fire Lord Sozan…" Zuko whispered. Sokka and Katara looked at him in shock, before looking back up at the fight.

"_**Mettez le feu à seigneur Sozan, revenez aux profondeurs de l'enfer, où les traîtres des dieux appartiennent**"_ The aura dragon shot out, biting the aura of the king, and dragging it down into the ocean. The giant cat soon disappeared, and Tsuyosa began falling.

"Appa, hurry!" Aang said, turning the bison around just in time for Zuko to catch her. It wasn't quite a picture perfect landing, they both landed on the floor, but they were both safe. Quickly, the prince got up from under the dragon, and they all looked down at her.

"Hmm..?" she said, opening her eyes. Looking up, she gave a tired grin.

"Hiya, Scarface." Aang, Katara and Sokka burst out laughing at the look on Zuko's face.

* * *

Ok, that chant thing was all in French. So, those who know French should be able to figure it out, but for those who don't, here's the translation:

**Oh great beast of hell**

**return to the place from which you came**

**Let the gods reign judgment**

**for the sins attached to your true name**

**I, Tsuyosa of the Flame, command you**

**Reveal yourself,**

**And give in to the True Light!**

And the last part was this:

**Fire Lord Sozan, return to the depths of hell, where the traitors of the Gods belong**


	10. Enemies, Friends, and A New Nickname

I know I should pick up the pace, but this story's getting harder and harder with each chapter. (sigh) but, I AM going to finish this story.

At one point or another.

**halfatheory357**- … kay… I got to "Your translations make much more sense than the ones I was getting" before you lost me. But thanks anyway! In all truth, I cheated. I have no idea how to speak French, but putting the chant in English would sound really corny, so I used Google Translate (which I don't own) If it's messed up, I guess you blame those guys.

* * *

CHAPTER 10- Enemies, Friends, and A New Nickname

* * *

It was uncomfortably quiet as Appa flew in what seemed to be a circle, but who could tell up here. Aang seemed certain they were heading out of the Fire Nation, so they just went with it. But the question hanging over everyone's head was the same:

"_Who will turn traitor first?"_

The two sides didn't trust each other. Tsuyosa and Zuko wondered if, since the demon was gone, they would be thrown overboard. Katara and Sokka wondered if the other two were just waiting for the right moment to attack. Aang, though, seemed calm. He didn't feel any hostility towards him or his friends coming from the firebenders, only worry mixed with anxiousness. Especially Zuko.

The airbender wondered if the prince still thought of their encounter at Zhao's fortress, and if he had come up with an answer for his question. Aang had hoped ever since he and Zuko met that they could become friends, and the fact the teen had made a friend with Tsuyosa gave him hope. It told him Zuko had changed at least a bit.

Now, Aang had convince his friends of that.

"Hey, Zuko?" he asked, breaking the silence. The prince looked up from his spot near the back of the saddle.

"What?" he asked, a bit harsher then he intended. Sokka gave him a small glare.

"I was wondering… if this all meant… we were friends." The airbender said with a smile. Zukos eye widened a bit, not expecting the question.

"Um…" he staled. Friends? He never actually thought about it, but why shouldn't he be. He was now on the same side as the Avatar, and with only Tsuyosa on his side; it would be smart to make more allies before he dare fight his father.

What could it hurt?

"O…kay… Sure." He said slowly, looking for signs the child was joking before he said anything.

Wow, the Avatar was really fast.

"YAAAAAYY!" Aang yelled, flying over and actually hugging the prince. Tsuyosa began laughing at the teens face.

"THIS WILL BE SO COOL! WE'RE GOING TO BA-SEN-SE NEXT AND YOU'LL LOVE IT! THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST HOG-MONKEYS ANYWHERE!" Aang said, bouncing around the saddle. Katara and Sokka were a bit shocked.

"What'da'ya mean he's coming with us?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Ba-Sen-Se? What do you mean?" Zuko yelled.

"AND AFTER THAT, YOU AND I CAN PRATICE FIREBENDING AND-"

"AANG!" the airbender stopped at the two's outburst.

"ZUKO CAN'T COME WITH US!"

"I CAN'T GO TO THE EARTH KINGDOM'S CAPITAL!"

"HE'S FIRE NATION! HE'S BEEN TRYING TO CAPTURE US FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG!"

"MY UNCLE LED THE ATTACK ON BA-SEN-SE! NOT TO MENTION THEY WOULDN'T ALLOW A FIREBENDER NEAR THAT PLACE!"

"THE HEARTLESS CREEP!"

"WHAT DID YOU- I JUST SAVED YOUR SORRY ASSES!"

"**NO YOU DIDN'T! YOUR GIRLFRIEND DID!**"

"**SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND**!" Words and insults blended together and it wasn't long before Sokka and Zuko were punching each other. Katara and Aang tried to calm the two, but it was Tsuyosa who finally lit a flame between them, nearly burning their faces.

"SHUT UP YOU SELFISH IDIOTS!" she bellowed, and the two froze. The dragon sighed.

"Let's try to settle this like humans, now, shall we?" With a final glare at one another, the teens sat at opposite ends of the saddle, arms crossed. For apparent enemies, they were exactly alike.

"Aang, I know you're excited, but maybe you didn't notice; there's been a war going on. Ba-Sen-Se is the capitol of the Earth Kingdom, and it's highly unlikely they'll let two firebenders in. Especially when one of them is Fire Nation royalty." Tsuyosa explained. Sadly, Aang nodded.

"Yeah, but, you're with us now. They have to let you in if you're with the Avatar!" The dragon stopped for a moment. She hadn't thought of that. They WERE trying to help the Avatar, and they were also trying to dethrone the Fire Lord. If nothing else, it might get them inside.

"But then we'd be labeled as traitors to the Fire Nation and have a tough time getting back in." Zuko pointed out. Katara tilted her head.

"But…You would be traitors."

"True… But now at least Tsuyosa can go back. If we got into Ba-Sen-Se, it would get out and they might even hunt us down. Word travels fast in the Earth Kingdom, its how I found you guys on Kyoshi Island."

"That's true…" Aang said sadly, but Katara caught onto something.

"What do you mean, 'at least Tsuyosa can go back'? You're supposed to be Fire Nation royalty." Zuko flinched a little.

"Hey, that's right! Why are you even out here? Shouldn't you be at some palace?" Sokka asked. The prince didn't like the conversation, Tsuyosa and Aang could tell.

"Maybe we should-"

"How does a prince get a scar like that, anyway?" Sokka continued, cutting Aang off. Katara had seemed to catch on to the prince's discomfort and stopped, but her brother was a different story. He knew, but was still curious.

"You really must be hated by your followers."

"Sokka, please st-"

"Or do you even have followers? Did you turn traitor or something?" Zuko was getting angry, this was dragging up memories better forgotten. They were surprised Sokka hadn't been turned to ash by now.

"I didn't-"

"Or did you do something to insult Daddy?" That did it.

"**_All I Did Was Save An Entire Division! It's That Bastards Fault! He Isn't Fit To Rule The Fire Nation! And If You Ever Call Him My Dad, Or Say I Was The Traitor, I Swear I'll Give You A Scar To Match, You Sorry Excuse For A Warrior!_**" he yelled at the water tribesman. All of them froze, staring at the flames engulfing the firebenders hands.

* * *

01:38 minutes since Zuko's outburst

* * *

All was quiet as they flew through the clouds. Zuko was asleep next to Tsuyosa after the dragon had mixed some sort of sleeping berry into the handful of leechy nuts they had earlier, and was now worriedly watching him. Sokka was glaring at the the other teen, and Katara and Aang were trying to understand why he was so mad. Sokka brought the obviously painful memories up, why was he blaming Zuko?

"I don't trust him." He said finally. Tsuyosa looked up, a bit angry with the water boy.

"You should have kept your mouth shut. I've never seen Zuko so happy, and then you go and bring up that damn scar!" she hissed.

"Don't yell at him! Just because my brother's an idiot doesn't mean he meant to hurt Zuko!" Katara defended.

"Gee, Katara, thanks."

"It's just a bit hard for us to trust Zuko. We've grown up being told Firebenders were evil. And now we're supposed to take one persons word that he's changed?" the waterbender/dragon explained.

"I trust Zuko. He's saved my life before, and it's not like he wants to kill anyone." Aang spoke up. Katara and Sokka stared at him strangely.

"Aang, what are you talking about?" Sokka asked.

"Well, back when you and Katara had those bad colds, I went out to find some medicine, but before I got back, Zhao and some archers ambushed me and brought me to this huge fortress." He began, spreading his arms to emphasize the size of the fortress.

"After that, I thought no one would save me, but then this guy in a blue oni mask showed up and freed me. We worked together and got out of there by the ninja threatening to kill me, but he wouldn't have, it was just a bluff. Only, when we were almost in the clear, the ninja got shot with an arrow! Luckily, it hit his mask, so he was only knocked out, but when that happened, I saw this huge red scar from under the mask, and when I checked, it was Zuko…." Sokka and Katara's jaws dropped.

"So, Zuko actually saved you?"

"Yeah. Heh, he looks kinda funny with his hair down." Aang laughed. Katara couldn't help it, either, and giggled a bit.

"So, does this mean we can stay?" Tsuyosa asked. Sokka glared a little, and sighing, he nodded.

"But it's your fault if he turns traitor!" the dragon smiled innocently.

"Of course, Socky."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST-?"

* * *

And that's 10! Yay! We have entered the double digits! And I got to give Sokka a new nickname. But it kinda sucks, so if you can come up with a better one, please tell me! 


	11. Regrets

Sorry this has taken so long, I've just been a bit tired lately. Well, here are some reviews-

**Harpygirl91**- I'm a bit of a Zuko fangirl too, but having Aang say Zuko looked hot would put this story in a whole different category. I don't have anything against Yaoi, but this story isn't.

**Zariena**- if you read chapter 10, I explain that I cheated and Tsuyosa's chant was supposed to be in Chinese but it only came out as squares and I don't know the language well enough to attempt it myself. So, you got French because I thought it sounded a bit complex and they didn't offer Latin.

**Red Hawk K'sani**- Wow, you're still reading! Thanks for the compliment, and I hope these chapters are at least a little long (now I shall write a stupidly short chapter and be yelled at)

* * *

CHAPTER 11- Regrets

* * *

Almost the instant Zuko awoke; after he yelled at his supposed protector for drugging him, he and Sokka began a glaring match. Even as Tsuyosa tried to explain what was going to happen and how they were going to be on the same side for now on, the two boys never took their eyes off one another.

"…And then Aang began laughing at how you looked really funny with your hair down and I told him that you look even funnier when you get wet because you look like a drowned fish if there was such a thing and-" the prince punched at the goddess, which the girl dodged.

"And now that I have your attention, Scarface, you and Socky need to stop walking on eggshells." She said calmly. Zuko grinned at the mention of Sokka's new nickname.

"Why is it only we have stupid names! And stop grinning, Scarface!" Sokka yelled. The prince glared, but let it go.

"What? You expect me to give the Avatar a nickname? Calling **Arrowhead Arrowhead** would be a complete insult to the great **Arrowhead**! I'm appalled at how you could even suggest the idea of doing something so awful to poor **Arrowhead**! But, if you insist, I'll call him** Arrowhead**." Tsuyosa declared quickly. Aang frowned but still found it funny. He loved jokes, and those who couldn't take one weren't allowed to laugh.

"Does this mean you get a dumb name?" Zuko asked flatly. The dragon smiled.

"Of course not! Girls don't get weird names!" She laughed, pulling Katara into a one-armed hug. Zuko and Sokka gave them strange looks.

"Girls are weird." Sokka stated. The prince nodded.

"Got that right, Socky." The water tribesman threw his boomerang at the firebender who dodged. This time remembering that it comes back.

"Why do guys always feel the need to turn things into a fight?" Katara asked, she and Tsuyosa watching as Aang joined Sokka to tag-team Zuko, who still managed to hold them off.

"Dunno. But it's nice seeing Zuko act his age. Don't think he ever actually hung out with other kids before." The dragon said with a soft smile.

"You act like his sister, if not his mother." Katara grinned.

"Oh well. I here to help, and I think he needs someone like that. If for nothing else then to keep him from burning the bison and causing us to plunge into the ocean!" She amplified the last part so the boys could hear. The spar had quickly gone bad as Sokka and Zuko began insulting each other once again.

"Like I'm dumb enough to set the bison on fire." Zuko said quietly, flames around his fists disappearing. Sitting back down, he gave a final glare at the water boy before turning to Aang.

"What the heck made you name it Appa?" he asked. No reason, but seriously, who names a two-ton bison Appa? Aang shrugged.

"I just thought it sounded cool. You need something that you can say easily when you're training Flying bison." He answered. "What about those Komodo Rhinos? Don't they have names?" the prince thought for half a second.

"No, not that I know of, anyway." The Avatar was taken aback.

"But then, how do you ride them? Don't they get lonely? What makes them feel like part of the crew?" he asked energetically.

"Um, well… I think the stable keepers might've given them names. But no one ever asks…" The sudden questioning made the prince remember his uncle and crew and he fell quiet.

What in the seven hells was he doing? It had been what? Two days? Already he was feeling homesick. Or, whatever you called it. He wondered if Lieutenant Ji or any of the others had beaten his uncle at Pai Sho, or if they had made fools of themselves on that damned music night the old general had insisted on. They were probably out getting drunk with their days off. He just hoped they didn't do anything stupid by insulting….

Any…one…

"Oh, shit." Zuko cursed aloud. The others looked at him confused.

"Zuko? What's wrong?" Tsuyosa asked. Turing to the dragon, the teen had a concerned look on his face.

"Tsuyosa, what if that bastard Zhao went looking for my crew after you nearly blew up his ship?" The dragon's eyes widened.

"Guys, what are you talking about?" Katara asked.

"Before we washed up on that island, we had been captured by Zhao and I kinda…umm…"

"She nearly blew the ship up and made a fool of the Admiral." Zuko finished.

"Sorry…" she apologized sheepishly.

"But now this means that the bastard's gonna want answers and I almost guarantee the first place he'll look is my ship. And if he thinks they're lying he'll label them traitors and they'll be sent back to the Fire Nation! They don't know anything so they're gonna get killed! We've got to go back!" Zuko snapped at Aang. The young boy looked concerned as well, and the water sibs were taken back a bit when he jumped back on Appas head and he began turning around.

"Aang, what are you doing?" Katara asked.

"We can hold off on Ba-Sen-Se for a few more days." Aang said with a small smile.

"Do we even know where they are?" Sokka asked.

"If I know my uncle, he'll stop at a port with a whole bunch of useless junk for sale and a good stock of tea." Zuko said. The four, including Tsuyosa, looked at him strangely.

"I don't know why, ok? It's just this weird thing he has." Shrugging they went back to what they were doing.

"So, we need a place that sells tea." Sokka repeated, pulling out a map. "Unfortunately, they don't usually advertise that."

"There are a few that I heard of. There's Port Kanjin, Fasnl, and Jalin. They're all known for having almost everything." Katara pointed out.

"Yeah, but Fasnl is near Ba-Sen-Se and doesn't allow Fire Navy ships, and Jalin is pretty far from where we were. So, our best bet is probably Kanjin." Zuko sighed.

"But we should be careful. Kanjin is run by Zhao. That damn promotion." He said the last part under his breath.

"So, wouldn't they stay away from there?" Aang asked.

"No. My uncle is practically a legend after he led the attack on Ba-Sen-Se and doesn't have any reason to fear the admiral. If he didn't go on his own, Zhao undoubtedly invited the great Dragon of the West."

"That old guy is the Dragon of the West?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Cool! Everyone in your family's famous!" the group gave Aang a bland look.

"The Dragon of the West attacked the Earth Kingdoms capital for six hundred days. You're supposed to be _against_ people like that." Sokka explained.

"Oh. Well, he's not a general now, is he?"

"No, he retired."

"Cool, then he's not bad anymore!" a cold gust blew past the others.

"This…this is the Avatar. My God, I'm not sure there's a way to help this kid." Tsuyosa sighed.

"You positive you just didn't find another kid in an iceberg?" Zuko asked. Katara and Sokka shook their heads. "God he forgives people too easily."

"Yeah, but that's just Aang. Never met a person that couldn't be a friend." Katara said with a smile.

"Yeah…We're all gonna be killed."

"Okay Appa! Yip-Yip! We're going to Kanjin!" Aang yelled.

* * *

I couldn't remember if it was the Dragon of the East or the Dragon of the West. I have a picture of the Avatar world (the one in the opening) and from what I could see, the Fire Nation's in the west. So that's what I went with.

Also, Lieutenant Ji- I heard his name mentioned somewhere in the show. He's the guy thatchallenged Zuko in "Storm"


	12. Questions, Honor, Memory

_CHAPTER 12-_ _Questions, Honor, Memory_

* * *

It was strangely quiet aboard the small Fire ship without the Prince giving orders or fighting with the crew. Iroh had enjoyed the peace at first, but after the second day it became tiring and downright boring. He had to have beaten Lieutenant Ji and the others a million times and he even dared to say he didn't want anymore tea.

He wasn't the only one affected by the teen's disappearance, either. Lieutenant Ji was now complaining that the other firebenders were too weak and sparring with them provided no challenge. Of course Iroh offered to fight, but the man respectfully declined. The old general was a bit too far _above_ his level. All in all, everyone was eagerly awaiting Zukos return; though no one admitted it.

"General Iroh, didn't Prince Zuko say when he would be back? Or at least where he was?" one of workers asked. Iroh sighed, shaking his head. He inwardly regretted letting his nephew go with only that girl. He knew Zuko could take care of himself even if the girl turned traitor, but he was still worried. Ever since the teen's banishment, he had taken the role of a father to Zuko if only out of pity. Or at least that's what he thought two years ago. Over time he began to respect the boy and his strange out look on life.

Honor. That's what Zuko always told the old man. Honor was what kept humans human. Without that, they were no more then a hog-monkey that could stand straight. Even after all he had gone through, the teen believed that his father had honor, that his country had honor, and people had honor, no matter what their beliefs. He only fought to regain his own honor which he thought lost.

That was another thing Iroh had noticed lately. Only a few days before Zuko left, he had begun asking the old man about Fire Nation plans, what set the nation apart, and why that difference made them better. Iroh answered the questions to the best of his ability: Sozan's comet, the fierce loyalty and willingness to finish, but the last one had him stumped. Not many people questioned _why_ the Fire Nation was better, it just was.

This unanswerable question seemed to make Zuko wonder why as well. After that, the general rarely saw the prince outside of his room, and when he was, he was reading old books about the war or practicing firebending. Not seeing how to fight, but how to control. Shaping, seeing how small or large the flame could be, how hot it could be, anything at all. Trying to see what the flame actually was, he had told Iroh.

Trying to see what it was…

* * *

"Hey Zuko, what're you doing?" Aang asked, Sokka temporally taking over the driving. The firebender was bouncing a single flame from one finger to the next across both hands, keeping a steady beat.

"I have absolutely no idea." He said, keeping his eye on the fire. Tsuyosa smiled.

"You finally trying to figure it out? Not many benders actually ask." The two looked at her, Zuko extinguishing the small heat.

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked.

"It's the biggest question next to the meaning of life: What causes what we call bending?" they continued to stare at her, even Sokka turned around.

"Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Four elements that really shouldn't bend to humans will, but it does. Lady Hikari and Lord Yami once explained it all of us; they said that the first time they came to earth, they found four people. All of them were mothers soon to bare their first children, and they were afraid that once the children were born, they would be taken away. For these women were the new wives to a man from the east, taken away from their husbands for their spectacular beauty." Katara made a displeased sound and mumbled something that sounded like "Greedy bastard"

"The children were the sons and daughters of the women's' real husbands, and were sure to be killed once they were born." Tsuyosa continued, "So out of pity, Lord Yami and Lady Hikari granted the children with the powers of the elements. These elements would protect the babies from any danger for the first hours of life and would grant the mothers time with their children, but in return for this blessing, the Dragons of Light and Darkness demanded that there was a price. Three hours after birth, Lord Yami and Lady Hikari would come back, and take the children away with them to the Heavens. Although they would miss their children dearly, the woman agreed, and the deal went through as planed. Two girls and two boys: Tsuyosa of Fire, Yugasa of Water, Chikara of Earth and Junsuisa of Air all went up to the heavens to become the Dragons of the Elements."

"Fine, but that's the dragons back story, not the Benders." Sokka said.

"Not true. There's a twist: a fifth baby." They looked confused, but Zuko caught on.

"The first Avatar." He whispered. Tsuyosa nodded.

"One of the women, the one who gave birth to the Water baby, had another. Yugasa's twin." The dragon continued. "The mother was overwhelm with joy at the fact this twin didn't have any powers, meaning she didn't have to give it up. But the other women were furious. The gods clearly stated that their babies had to go to the heavens, which meant this one too! The mother was defiant, though, and when the Dragons came, she hid her child and went on like he never existed. Lord Yami and Lady Hikari had planned this, though. They knew that the woman would have twins, but they only needed one to go with them. They other had to stay on earth.

"They could tell that the world was in danger of destroying itself. If it continued this way, wars would over take it and no one could stop the destruction. So, they gave the other twin the power of water, only made it a dormant power. One that would awaken once the world needed it, and go from nation to nation, gathering powers from Fire, Earth and Air as the dragons divided the lands accordingly. In this way, the powers went from father to son, mother to daughter, all the powers awakening like a plague as the Avatars Spirit traveled. Creating the first of what would be called Benders."

* * *

"General Iroh!" Lieutenant Ji announced as he ran into the room. Iroh looked up to see the man looked a bit panicked.

"Lieutenant Ji, what is going on?" he demanded.

"Admiral Zhao had ordered that we tell him where Prince Zuko and the girl he was with are. He says they are under arrest for entering Fire Nation waters and attacking a Navy ship." Ji explained. Getting up, the old man walked onto deck, the lieutenant behind him.

"Admiral Zhao, what is the meaning of this?" he said calmly. Zhao glared.

"It seems the Prince has truly turned against us and attacked our ship. We have reason to believe you might know where he is."

"We do not. My nephew left three days ago on a personal matter." Iroh replied.

"Meaning you have no idea where he is." The man nodded.

"Get Your Damn Hands Off Me!" the general turned to see two of Zhao's soldiers grab Ji and tie his hands behind his back. The lieutenant glared.

"You and your crew are all under arrest for treason, General Iroh." Zhao said calmly as two more soldiers grabbed the old man. Turning around, the admiral walked off the ship.

"Check every inch of this ship for more traitors."

Iroh glared at the real traitors retreating back.

* * *

The group walked through the quiet town, slowly making their way to the docks. A few times Katara had to pull Aang away from buying something useless, and Zuko had to stop Tsuyosa from killing a man who whistled at her. The lucky man got away with a burnt arm.

"You're take things way too seriously." Zuko sighed.

Rounding a corner, they were face to face with a deserted dock. The only vessel was at the very end of the port; a relatively small Fire navy ship.

"That's it." The firebender said, walking ahead of them. The others stayed put, though. Something was wrong.

"You guys feel it to?" Tsuyosa asked. They nodded, Aang looking down sadly.

"We're too late."

* * *

"Uncle Iroh!" Zuko called, boarding the ship. He was surprised at how quiet it was. He was expecting a party, but the place was dead quiet. He forced himself to ignore the small voice in the back of his mind.

"Where is everyone? Hello!" he looked all though out the ship; every room, corridor and even in the engine room.

Nothing.

The last place he checked was his own room. Walking in, he found the place completely destroyed. Books had pages torn out, the tapestry on his wall was torn down and every drawer was open.

Slowly, he stepped over the mess on the floor and walked over to his bed. It looked like it had been stabbed, feathers everywhere. Kneeling down, he reached under the destroyed bed and lifted a loose sheet of the steel flooring. Under it was a small space about as large and deep as a good sized book. He had created it the day he got the ship to keep one thing in particular. Reaching in, he felt around until a small, sharp edge poked his hand. Grabbing the object, he pulled out a small necklace.

Four charms with each elements symbol hung on a small golden chain. A few of the links were bent and it was rusting a bit, but it was probably the one thing Zuko really wanted.

It was a gift from his mother.

Standing, the teen took one last look around the ship before sticking the necklace in his pocket and walking back onto deck. In the distance he could see the others, and he guessed they were waiting on him. Slowly, he walked off his home for almost three years, and headed back.

* * *

A/N- I don't know why, but I have always given Zuko that same necklace! I have a million stories where I decide not to post and have Zuko really OOC, and in those he has that gift from his mom, always the same chain and charms. Oh, well.

R&R!


	13. Brother

No One Can Prove Me Wrong!

_

* * *

_

_CHAPTER THIRTEEN- Brother_

* * *

The four watched as Zuko walked off the ship, looking more then a bit depressed.

"Ok, he either found nothing or bodies. Either way, I think we should avoid the subject." Sokka said calmly. Katara elbowed him in the ribs.

"Maybe you should just shut up!" she hissed.

"Hey, was anyone there…?" Tsuyosa asked quietly as the firebender walked towards and past them, seemingly heading back to Appa.

"No." he answered coldly. Shrugging, the others followed.

"Where are you going?" Aang dared.

"Zhao's a power-hungry bastard. There weren't any bodies, so that means he'll bring them back to the Fire Nation, where he'll be rewarded. The trip takes maybe a day and a half from here." Zuko explained.

"So, we have a little to grab Chikara and get there before them." The prince stopped for a second to glare at the dragon before continuing.

"It means we're heading there. Now."

"WHAT?" Sokka exclaimed. "But Aang barely knows Earthbending! We can't take on the Fire Lord already!" Zuko suddenly turned around fully to glare at the water boy.

"_I am __**not** going to loose my crew to the Fire Nation! And especially not to that damn Zhao! I don't care if I go alone, I'm getting them back!"_ he hissed.

The crack of the slap rang in the deserted port.

"You are acting like an idiot again, Prince of Fire." Tsuyosa said, glaring and voice deeper, like when he first saw her in his dream.

"If you return to the Fire Nation as you are, you will die. Neither you, the Dragon of Water or the Avatar are prepared to fight The Fire Lord. I can tell you without a doubt in my mind: The Dragon of the West and your crew will survive." She said, loosing some of the edge as she finished. Zuko was still a bit stunned by the hit, but none the less glowered at Tsuyosa.

"Were you so sure when Yugasa died?" he spat. The dragon twitched, sparks flying from her hands. Zuko's did the same.

"Uh, guys! Maybe we should just drop the whole thing?" Aang offered, sensing the hatred.

"Not. Now. Avatar." The two said in unison, fists in flames.

"Yugasa was a mistake. Only Lady Hikari and-"

"Is that your excuse? 'Lady Hikari and Lord Yami' this and that and I won't let my uncle die because _someone_ forgot to tell you!" Zuko snapped.

"You are being irrational! Look, this isn't about me or my past! This is about you and the fact you are risking the repeat of yours! Or have you forgotten the last time you fought your Father?" the fire surrounding the teens hands faltered.

"We can't face him now! We need Aang and Katara to learn their full power! You still need to learn as well…" the dragon extinguished her fire, and the prince slowly did the same.

"Fine," He said, still not sure, "but if they die, the blood is on your hands!" Tsuyosa gave a small smile.

"Ok, Prince of Fire. I'll make sure to remember."

* * *

"I still can't believe that bastard." Ji hissed. All of the firebenders were put in one cell, hands bound to stop firebending, while the rest of the crew were further down the dank hallway.

"I know how you feel, Lieutenant Ji, but as long as Admiral Zhao is in charge, there is nothing I can do." Iroh sighed. Ji merely slammed the intricate handcuffs against the wall, the resulting bang defining.

"shit." He mumbled, bringing his hands back. The box-like steel covered his entire hand, a matching one of each arm and attached by a thick chain. The steel heated up very easily, so when one tried to firebend, it would result in you just burning yourself. The edges by the wrist were also quite ragged, making the cuffs even more _comfortable_.

"You should try to control your anger." The general said calmly. Ji sighed.

"I just can't tell if it was better or worse that Prince Zuko wasn't around." He mumbled. Iroh nodded.

"I'd like to think for the better. Now we have someone to trust on the outside."

* * *

"So, the capital is this way?"

"That's west. You are now going to the Fire Nation." Zuko replied dryly.

"Oh, right." Aang grinned sheepishly, turning Appa around.

"What is it with celestial beings having _no_ sense of direction?" the prince asked. Tsuyosa shrugged.

"Everything's different, I guess. I personally have always been terrible with that stuff." She said. It was a glare normally reserved for Zuko's uncle, the dragon was happy to say. Meaning the teen didn't hate her, he was just annoyed.

"You know, you guys _really_ look like siblings." Sokka pointed out suddenly. The two just looked at him strangely. The look was exactly the same, I must point out.

"Hey he's right!" Aang exclaimed. Katara also nodded in agreement.

"You gotta be crazy; we look nothing like each other." Zuko said, surprisingly calm, but getting annoyed.

"Well, you both have black hair, and gold eyes, and your both firebenders-"

"And pretty much _everyone_ from the Fire Nation has black hair and gold eyes, and lots of people are firebenders." Tsuyosa cut off.

"You act exactly alike." Katara said, continuing for her brother.

"Do you and your brother act alike?"

"No, but…"

"You just _do_." Aang said.

"What?" Tsuyosa couldn't even fathom the Avatars reason.

"Not all siblings act alike, but they are. And no matter what, they still act, in a way, like siblings. That's what you guys act like!" The two just gave an identical confused look before brushing it off.

"In any case, we're not." Zuko said, planning to finish the conversation right then. But old Sokka was now curious about something.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked.

"Not directly." He answered flatly.

"Huh?" the prince sighed.

"Do any of you know anything about how a monarchy works?" all but Tsuyosa shook their head. The dragon wasn't going to get involved in this.

"For the love of- Look, It's normal for a king to have many heirs, right? So if the first one dies or something, the next one takes the throne…?" they nodded, following. Zuko felt like he was teaching kindergarten.

"Right. Well, not all those heirs come from one wife. I far as I know, my father has…um..." he thought back. He didn't spend much time speaking with the other women when he was home. "Five… I think… but the point is every wife has at least two children. So ten heirs, and I think there are two girls, so that's eight heirs. So, technically, I have ten siblings." He concluded finally.

Sokka's jaw dropped.

"And I thought I was unlucky with just Katara! That must suck!"

"No. I didn't see them often. They were really step-brothers and sisters. The only one I ever saw was my older brother, Zurui, but he died a while ago." Katara gave a small gasp.

"I'm so sorry." Zuko looked at her quizzically.

"What are you talking about? Zurui was a lying bastard, plus he always used to beat me up. He got himself killed." He said. They stared, even Tsuyosa was curious.

"You want to here the rest, don't you?" they nodded. Laying his head back on the saddle, he closed his eyes.

"No."

"Ah, come on, Zuko! PLEASE? Pleasepleaseplease pleasepleaseplease pleasepleaseplease!" Aang tried, continually shaking the firebenders shoulders. The teen did his best to ignore him.

He hated Zurui, and he didn't want to talk about it.

* * *

"_Zurui! Hey Zurui, did you hear?" six-year-old called, running up to his new teen brother. Zurui had just turned thirteen and had bragged non-stop, but Zuko didn't mind. Zurui was greatest firebender in the world, and he always wanted to be just like him._

"_What are you talking about, ujimushi no shiranai **(1)**?" The heir asked, looking up from behind a wall of books he could always be found in. The younger brother winced, but let the insult fly._

"_Uncle Iroh returned from Ba-Sen-Se today! They're having the de-briefing now, but I don't know if things are good…" Zurui glared at his brother._

"_You are an ujimushi no shiranai! If things went well, word would've come by now! It's obvious that the old man failed." He stumbled out of the pile of books and walked over to his brother, clearly angry. Zuko just stared, knowing he should probably run, but his legs wouldn't move._

_

* * *

_

_A few of the place maids stared as Zuko walked hurriedly down the halls, going back to his room. He was covering his face with his sleeve which was becoming visibly stained an even deeper red. Barely holding his tears back, he ran back to his room and slammed the door. _

_He didn't know if he hated or loved his brother. Zurui was scary in the fact that anytime he got angry, he went after Zuko. The younger brother was no match when it came to fighting, and running would be very disgraceful, so all he could do was hold his ground and avoid injury. This time it was a bloody nose, but last time it was a broken arm, and sometimes Zurui would be really mad and used Firebending. That one was really hard to cover._

_A knock on the door cut off his thoughts as he heard a soft voice from outside._

"_Prince Zuko?" Zuko gave a small smile._

"_Come in, Shinsetsu." He said. Slowly, the door opened and a girl about Zurui's age walked in. She had the normal traits: black hair, gold eyes, pale skin; but Shinsetsu was very kind. She was the sister to the third heir, Zukai, and one of Zukos best friends._

"_What happened this time?" she asked, walking over and sitting next to the child._

"_I just got a bloody nose. It's nothing." He said, lowering his sleeve. The bleeding was slowing down, but his shirt was ruined. The maids would hate him._

"_Was it Zurui?" _

"_No! Of course it wasn't! I just fell, is all!" Shinsetsu wasn't fooled. Sighing, she stood up and walked out._

"_Stay here. I'll be back with some tissue." Zuko sighed, flopping back on his bed._

_

* * *

_

_After thirty minutes, Shinsetsu had not returned. The bleeding had stopped and Zuko got up._

"_She didn't get lost, did she?" he asked himself. That was impossible, Shinsetsu lived in the palace like he did, and they both knew the place like the back of their hands._

_Slowly, he walked out of the room and, making sure Zurui wasn't there, ran in the general direction the doctor was._

_Skidding to a stop at the top of the hospital wing, he ran into the room to his right that acted as an office._

"_Excuse me, has Shinsetsu been here?" he asked the first person he saw. The woman shook her head and Zukos stomach dropped. Where the hell was Shinsetsu?_

"_Zuko! There you are!" he turned to face Zurui, who looked quite happy._

"_Uh, Hi, Zurui. What's going on?" Zuko said quietly._

"_I want you to see something." Zurui grinned. The younger brother looked up, surprised._

"_Sure!" Grabbing Zukos arm, his brother led him out of the hospital wing._

* * *

"_Zurui, what did you want me to see?" the young prince finally asked. They stopped in front of a very large door Zuko had somehow never noticed. As a matter of fact, he didn't recognize any of these hallways!_

"_You know that girl Shinsetsu?" Zurui asked. Zuko nodded, a sudden ping of regret as he remembered he didn't know where she was._

'_She's probably back home. Forgot something and didn't tell me' he reassured himself._

"_Well, you won't guess what I found!" Slowly and with a bit of a struggle, Zurui opened the door to the dark room._

_A foul smell hit Zukos nose, rotten and stale. Covering his nose, he squinted to try to make out the shadows. Zurui suddenly pushed him forward, causing him to loose balance and land flat on his face._

_Right into a puddle of thick, red liquid._

_Hurriedly and with a small yelp, he got up, eyes now adjusted to the dim light. On the floor lying in the blood were three figures: a boy about fourteen, a woman dressed in royal gowns, and the worst of them all;_

_Shinsetsu._

_Zuko, eyes wide, stumbled back. He felt a hand on his shoulder stop him, and he looked up at his older brother who had a sadistic grin on his face._

"_She killed them, and then herself. She told me a while ago that she would, that Zukai would find peace in death away from their mother and our father. Strange how some people think, isn't it?" Zuko just stared._

"_Why…why didn't you stop her? She-they didn't deserve to die!" Zurui now frowned._

"_Ujimushi no shiranai, do you know what having them dead means? It means one more mother not trying to kill the first heirs! That woman was out to kill both of us, and if I stopped Shinsetsu, I would've put you in danger. What kind of brother does that?" Zuko glared, ripping himself from his brother's grip._

"_I would rather have died! You aren't a good brother! You Never Have Been!" He ran off, tears threatening to fall._

"_Zuko! Zuko wait!" he heard the footsteps of Zurui following him and began running faster. _

_Down stairs, past guards and into the dirt valley that surrounded the palace, he kept running, and his brother followed, now angry._

"_**Get Away From Me, Murderer**!" Zuko yelled. He heard a familiar swoosh and just dodged a blast of fire. A hand grasped his arm and he freaked as it began to heat up._

'_When did he get so close?' Unfortunately, he tripped and didn't have time to finish. He soon found himself pinned to the ground, Zurui above him with a disappointed look on his face._

"_Poor Zuko can't figure it out. He isn't meant to rule the Fire Nation. In fact…" He lifted his right arm, pointing it at Zuko and setting it ablaze._

"_He shouldn't even have the chance." Panicking, Zuko sat up and punched Zurui, not very hard, but enough for the teen to loose balance and fall back._

_Onto what seemed to be a very sharp rock._

_A sickening crack was heard and Zurui gasped. Zuko watched in horror as blood dribbled out of his brother's mouth and his body went limp._

"_Zurui…?" he asked quietly, walking over and kneeling next to the body._

"_Zurui…are you okay…?" a bit urgently, he shook the heir's shoulders. But all that did was deepen the wound._

_Even the six-year-old could figure out what happened. And without second thought, he ran off to say what happened._

_Prince Zurui was dead._

* * *

A/N- I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this, but when do I ever?

(1)- Ujimushi no Shiranai- as far as my rough knowledge of Japanese goes, this means ignorant maggot

Zurui- this means dishonest, sly

Shinsetsu- this means, creatively enough, kind

Zukai- the guy who only showed up dead, his name means illustration.

R&R!


	14. Curses

**DUDE!**

I got fourteen reviews in one day! And it's all thanks to this person!

**Spontaneousxhumanxcombustion**- I didn't even try to spell your name, so I copied it. Thank you so much for reviewing thirteen times! I'm happy that you like Tsuyosa and I hope you keep liking the story. I'm trying my best, and maybe someday I'll come up with an ending (or when they get to Ba-Sen-Se) but anyway, Enjoy!

**NOS mercenary**- You're right, and I'm sorry for my forgetfulness. Truth is, I don't know much about Chinese, and don't have many resources. But I hope you'll at least graze over the story once in a while, if to just see if I fixed things.

**halfatheory357**- heh, I did my best on my PaintShopPro 7, and I'm going to post it on a link I will soon put in my profile. But if you want to draw it, knock yourself out!

* * *

CHAPTER 14- Curses

* * *

"Zuko… Zuko, wake up!" the firebenders eyes shot open and he winced at the cold air. Sitting up, he looked around. Night had fallen what must've been hours ago, judging by the moon. The silver orb and stars were the only light, glimmering on the oceans rippling surface. 

Next to him, Tsuyosa was fast asleep, snoring quietly. Sokka and Katara were curled up across from her, and Aang was looking down at him from atop of Appa's head.

"You were trembling and mumbling something, sorry to wake you." The airbender apologized.

"How long was I out?" Zuko asked, changing the subject quickly.

"About five hours. Tsuyosa said you haven't slept in weeks, so we let you be." The prince sighed at the boys face. He obviously believed her.

"It's been one day, _maybe_." He told Aang reassuringly.

"Oh." The kid seemed a bit disappointed, but soon recovered.

"It must've been great having that many brothers and sisters!" shit, they were back on his family.

"Yeah, kinda." That was a downright lie, but it could make Aang shut up.

"I always wanted a little brother! The kids at the temple were cool, but they left when the sun went down."

If Aang was a bit cleverer, that is.

"Zurui wasn't a great brother. And most of my siblings I never saw. I was practically an only child."

"Didn't you have friends? Or, I don't know, a pet?"

"I had a Komodo Rhino for a few, but Zurui killed it in under a week." Aang winced.

'_Okay, not the best brother.'_

"I kinda had one friend." The airbender was surprised that Zuko continued. But not as much as the prince himself.

"Really?" Aang was interested. Night flying sucked, and it was nice to talk to someone besides Appa.

"Yeah. She was my half sister, Shinsetsu."

"I thought all Fire Nation names started with a 'z'?" Zuko gave a small laugh.

"Not really. But for some reason, the royal family has this fetish with them. I think my father cleared out every 'z' name in the book when he named all his heirs. Zurui, Zukai; but any girls got normal names." Aang grinned.

"That's cool. I named Appa that because it was like mine!" he emphasized by patting the bison's head.

It was strange. The next hour was filled with talk of nothing in particular. How Aang had been taught by the monks while Zuko was buried with books. Their training sessions and what they hated the most.

It was strange, but Zuko found it quite enjoyable.

"The tests were the worst." Aang groaned. The firebender nodded. "I had to do all of these high-level Airbending moves I had learned three days ago!"

"Two words: Agni-Kai." Zuko stated simply. The airbender looked confused. "Don't tell me you never heard of one! Agni-Kai, a fire duel." Realization struck and Aang gaped.

"Ouch. Was that what you got your scar from? A test?" the teen didn't answer for a moment.

"Um, Yeah. I failed a big test." He said quietly.

"Sorry. I stink at dodging close-range, too." The firebender shook his head. Aang didn't get it, and for a second, Zuko wondered if he wanted him to.

But the action went un-noticed as Aang continued.

"I really hated finding out I was the Avatar." The teen looked up at the sudden confession.

"Why would you hate that? It meant you were the most powerful person in the world."

"I know. But I was just scared. I was too young, I guess. All the responsibility on top of the fact they were going to send me to another temple, I got scared." Aang looked ashamed. "I ran away. And then I got myself stuck in an iceberg. Because of that, the world plunged into war-" the boy's lips kept on moving, but Zuko had stopped listening.

'_An iceberg?'_

"How-How long were- how long have you been awake?" he asked, praying it was at least four years. Sometime before he was ordered to find him.

"Maybe a year. I woke up a few hours before I first met you. Why?"

Zuko felt something in him crack.

"A…a year…?" his voice was very weak. He had turned against his father for being an honor-less bastard not fit to rule the Fire Nation, but this?

He had sent his son away, knowing he would never return, but saying there was a chance.

"Is something wrong, Zuko?" he didn't answer, too engrossed in thought.

'_That bastard has no honor, yes. But even worse, he sent me on a wild goose chase, and made me look like a fool!_' somehow this fact upset him more then all of his fathers other faults.

He gave a small grin.

"Two years. All spent chasing a kid in an iceberg! I could've given up anytime and no one would've cared!" Aang just listened, eyes widening.

'_He was looking for two whole years?'_ A ping of guilt struck as he realized that, once again, his disappearance had caused another person pain.

"I'm sorry." He said. Zuko, who was currently spitting curses, stopped, looking up at the saddened boy.

'_Great, he's on the verge of crying'_ Zuko thought.

"It's nothing you should be-"

"But the Fire Nation was supposed to capture the Avatar, and because I wasn't around, you had to waste two years!" Aang declared. The firebender sighed; he was dead-set on making this his fault.

"Aang, this mess has nothing to do with the Fire Nation, or your disappearance. I made a mistake and got myself banished-"

"You were _banished_?" the airbender cut off.

"ah…Yes. I was banished two years ago, and that's how I got my scar…" He had trouble discussing this with his uncle, but it was easy telling the Avatar. Of course, now the boy was going to blame himself. He should just stop bringing this stuff up.

"I'm sorry."

"Would you stop saying that? For crying out loud, you were frozen! That's the best excuse in the world." Zuko said, annoyed. He hated people who admitted to being wrong when they couldn't do or didn't do anything. But Aang was still young, meaning it was instinct to say sorry.

"I guess." The Avatar gave a small smile. "But I'm still sorry. No one should be banished from their home. I left, but you shouldn't have gone."

"It's no big deal. I don't think my dad wanted me there in the first place. He wanted Zurui to be heir, I was just a mistake."

"That's not true!" Aang said sternly. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't have met Tsuyosa, I probably wouldn't have been on this journey with Sokka or Katara, and I would still be back at Zhao's fortress!"

"And because I was here, you almost got killed a million times, my father wouldn't have been so angry and taken his rage out on the southern Water Tribe, and a lot of people would be much happier!" Zuko snapped. The airbender froze.

"The southern water tribe? You mean…?"

"A lot of people were killed when Zurui died. My father loved him, and when that happened, his rage caused him to order an attack on a small tribe. They hadn't done anything, and barely had any Waterbenders. It was a massacre."

There was a long silence as the two sat. Aang thought it was a good idea to keep this from Katara and Sokka; the news would shatter the delicate trust that had just grown. Zuko was still confused at the situation, nothing was making sense. No one ever knew what really happened to Zurui, that someone had known about Shinsetsu and Zukais death before it happened, and that there was much more blood on the princes hands.

"The sun's coming up." Aang said quietly. Zuko just nodded.

_**

* * *

**_

_**No one should know how much blood the two had spilled.**_

* * *

Hmm, I don't know if I like this chapter that much. I wanted to point out all the similarities Aang and Zuko actually shared, but I still don't know if that showed through. 

Oh well. R&R!


	15. Chikara, the Earth Dragon

Sorry sorry sorry sorry! I know this took forever, but if it makes people feel better and hate me less, I came up with and ending!

**halfatheory357**- heh, yeah. Zuko might've acted a bit OOC. Sorry…

**spontaneousxhumanxcombustion**- I know. But I'm greedy and like pointing stuff out myself (for those people who can't see it) and I tried to put more jokes into this chapter.

* * *

CHAPTER 15- Chikara

* * *

Tsuyosa grinned slightly as she "awoke". Truthfully, she hadn't slept in hours, and had been listening to Zuko and Aang talk like teenage girls. Home, school, training; the two had covered it all. Of course, when they got to tests…

Scarface didn't seem mad, at least.

"'bout time you got up." Said teen scoffed. The dragon merely grinned and promised herself to hit him after this was over. Sitting up, she gave warm "good morning" to Aang, who smiled back.

"Socky, Waterbender! Time to get up!" Zuko said, kicking the water tribesman. With a bit of a moan, the two woke up.

"Don't call me that, scarface!" Sokka hissed, stifling a yawn. "And don't kick us or w-we'll throw you overboard…" he almost fell back asleep before Katara smacked him over the head, jolting him awake.

"And I have a name, Zuko." She said, glaring a bit. Zuko merely shrugged.

"Yeah well I stink at names. Why do you think I call him Avatar?" he answered calmly, gesturing to Aang.

"Good point." A sudden grumbling disrupted the silence and Sokka grabbed his stomach.

"When are we gonna land, Aang? I'm starving…"

"We should hit shore in a few minutes. After that, it's less then a mile to Ba-Sen-Se!"

* * *

"You and your crew are either very persistent or very stupid, Iroh." Admiral Zhao grinned wickedly and the old mans glare. "I should think it obvious that if Prince Zuko was to come, he would've all ready done so."

"My nephew does not underestimate me and has no reason to, Zhao." The general said coldly. "You do know that the Dragons save their wrath for traitors."

"If you don't know about the traitors location, perhaps you know of his partner?"

"I already told you I don't know who this girl is." He lied. Tsuyosa was going to keep his nephew safe. Zuko was a terrible at lying to him and the old man knew right off the bat who the dragon was. She only showed up in every history book.

A sudden blast of fire blazed past his ear and burned a bit of flesh, but he didn't flinch. Zhao was getting annoyed.

"General Iroh, we both know you're lying. That girl could help the Fire Nation greatly and concealing her identity would make you more of a traitor then you are now!" he hissed.

"That girl _is_ helping the Fire Nation and if I told you where she was I would become a traitor. You are the betrayer, Zhao. Not me, or my nephew or anyone on my crew." Another blast, this one hurting enough for Iroh to hiss a bit.

"You are a dead man, General. I'll make sure of that." The two glared at each other before the Admiral left, slamming the cell door behind him.

* * *

"Here we are! Ba-Sen-Se!" Aang declared. The four stared in awe at the walls surrounding the city. From the distance they could see guards patrolling the perimeter, as well as a few catapults onto of the wall.

"Great. So how are Tsuyosa and I supposed to get in?" Zuko stated flatly, and the dragon pulled self-consciously at her armor.

"I can just conjure my old cloths back. I guess I could make you some too." Tsuyosa suggested. "Or you can borrow Sockys…" the prince glared.

"NO!" the two yelled in unison.

"All righty, then! You guys wait here for a second!" She grinned, dragging the now unsure prince back into the woods.

* * *

A few minutes passed and the three friends thought one of the firebenders had killed the other before two forms appeared.

"Woah."

Tsuyosa was now back in her original goddess cloths: light white tank top, two thick pieces of cloths overlapping her chest, and a simple pair of tan pants. She looked like she was happy to be out of the armor.

Zuko, however, was a different story. He looked a bit uncomfortable, especially when Katara had to stifle a gasp.

The sleeveless shirt and loose pants were black, and he had a gold bracelet with four small charms. Tsuyosa had to explain the last part.

"I figured that the scar was a bit to noticeable, so I got rid of it. But I can't get rid of it permit, so I have to re-do it tomorrow. Otherwise, I just wanted to see what he looked like with hair, such a pity, what your dad did…" the dragon sighed. Zuko glared, blushing just barely.

"Let's just get going!" he snapped, walking past the others; who were still stunned.

"Um, right! C'mon, Sokka!" Katara said, dragging her brother along. The group continued to follow the angered prince in silence before Aang broke it.

"So…That's what you looked like before-"

"Yes." The firebender answered before the boy could finish.

"You know, you make it really easy to mess with you." Tsuyosa pointed out.

"Shut up."

* * *

As the group reached the main entrance, they found this was going to be harder then they thought. Posters of known firebenders plastered the outside wall; Zhao and Iroh had very big bounties on their heads.

"I take it a firebender won't be welcomed…" Zuko said softly.

The guards eyed them wearily as they approached, and one immediately raised a large bolder above them.

"State your business!" the man demanded. The water children laughed nerviously, and Zuko shook some of his hair (which he found impossible to tie up) in front of his face, covering his eyes.

"The Gods have come to find the Earth Dragon." Tsuyosa said, unflinching. They could tell immediately he didn't believe her, and Aang stepped in.

"I'm the Avatar, and she is telling the truth." He stated. No matter how many times he said it, though, it still sounded stupid.

"And why should I believe you." Aang thought for a moment before pulling out three marbles. Placing them in his palm, he easily levitated them, causing them to spin rapidly. The guard gaped.

"Eurin! Quickly! Alert King De at once! The Avatar has arrived, along with one of the great spirits!" Looking a bit panicked, the guard Eurin ran into the city.

"I am very sorry, Avatar. Please, welcome to Ba-Sen-Se." the guard said with a bow. Aang and Tsuyosa bowed back and walked inside. Zuko were just about to follow the others when the man stopped him, pointing a _very_ treating spear at his throat.

"Um, 'scuse me, I'm with them." He said, pointing to Aang. The guard glared.

"Firebenders are not welcome here. Leave now before I get serious."

"Wait! He is with us! He's going to help me!" Aang protested. The guard looked confused.

"I have been told to stop any firebenders from entering. I am sorry, but he will have to leave."

"But I'm Not A Firebender!" Zuko spat out.

Now _everyone_ was confused.

"So what are you? A waterbender? Only Fire Nation has black hair and golden eyes!"

"Half-Breed!" the full-blood prince said, wincing as the spear tip dug into his skin. The mans eyes widened, as well as the others.

"T-That's right! My mother's Earth Kingdom, and our village was attacked and I think you can fill in the blank! The Avatar passed by us and offered to take me with them so I could get revenge." There was a tense silence as the older man considered the out-right lie.

Slowly, he lowered his spear and made way for Zuko to pass.

"I am very sorry. Please enter." Quickly, the firebender ran past him.

* * *

"That was the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard." Tsuyosa said flatly once the walls were securely sealed behind them.

"Perhaps. But it got me inside." Zuko grinned with a small sigh of relief.

"So what do we call you now, oh poor half-blood peasant." Sokka laughed. The prince glared.

"How about we just find Chikara and-" before Aang could finish, what had to be twenty soldiers surrounded them. On-lookers gaped as one of them walked towards the group.

Judging by his uniform, Zuko guessed he was a general, and the man looked almost as old as his uncle. For a moment he wondered if they had fought, but it passed quickly.

"Avatar, we are welcomed to have you here." He said with a bow. Turning to Tsuyosa, it took him a second before he bowed to her, too.

"Our King is very excited to meet you, if you would grant him a visit." He said.

"We're in a bit of a hurry." Zuko cut in. The last thing he needed was to meet the rival king of his nation. The general glared at him.

"I had no idea there was a Firebender besides Lady Tsuyosa traveling with you."

"Half-breed." The dragon corrected. The old man looked surprised. Slowly, he walked over to Zuko, looking the young man right in the eyes.

"I always thought half-breeds took their mothers traits." The group gave a silent gulp. Zuko had forgotten that.

"And you would be right! Normally that is true, but also…" he looked around for a way out. Shit. "Is it normal for a boy who disappeared one hundred years ago to appear? The Gods work in strange ways and I took after my father."

"I would think so, Prince Zuko."

Double shit.

Grabbing the teens arm, the man lifted him off the ground. It took all his strength not to burn the bastard, but he was trying not to get killed.

"The banished prince of the Fire Nation. I can only wonder what you are doing here." A sudden blast of air hit the general, sending him stumbling forward and dropping Zuko.

Aang stood there, looking upset.

"Zuko is here to help me! He's here to teach me firebending!" The boy declared. The general looked at the Avatar, doubting.

"This boy is the son of the Fire Lord. He is no better then Fire Lord Sozen!"

"What is wrong with you?" Tsuyosa shouted. Everyone stopped.

"Zuko is nothing like his father! Do you idiots even know why he was banished?" sparks were shooting out around her, and they were forced to step back.

"Drago-"

"You just can't except that he can firebend! That's the only reason you hate him!"

"Shu-"

"I should kill you for your ignorance! I swear I would but you're lucky that-"

"That this land is under my jurisdiction." They turned at the voice.

There, standing calmly next to two unconscious soldiers, was a young man no older then Sokka. He had long, messy brown hair with a few beads stranded through it. Wearing traditional Earth Kingdom clothing, the only thing that set him apart was the amulet one his forehead, and his empty green eyes.

The signs of the Gods.

Tusyosa's anger suddenly disappeared, and she smiled. The poor boy didn't have any time to spare before he was caught in a huge hug.

"Chikara!"

* * *

De- means virtue.

Okay, here's my excuse. I have this strange fetish of turning Zuko back to what he used to look like, and somehow making him a half-breed. This was my solution: Have Tsuyosa turn him back so he can get into Ba-Sen-Se, and have him lie about his origin.

Please don't kill me!


	16. the little halfbreed problem

AUTHORS NOTE- The Little Half-Breed Incident

Dear **halfatheory357**- I am sorry if it looked like I took your idea, I had no idea anyone would mess with Zuko's blood line besides me. I thought making him a Half-breed would be a cool lie, but in the story it is just that.

So if anyone would like to read a story of him being a true half-breed, please go read halfatheory357s story.

Also, I would like to mention that school starts for me on August 3rd, and I will have a tough time writing as much as I like. Meaning major slow-downs on posting.

Sorry for the inconvenience, I will try to write as much as possible.

-Tsuyosa


	17. Let the Lessons Begin!

Phew, sorry bout all the confusion in the last chapter. (blink) Author…note…thing…

Or whatever it was. Point is, ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

THE REAL CHAPTER 16- Let the Lessons Begin!

* * *

"CHIKARA!" Tsuyosa laughed, leaping to hug the poor boy and knocking him to the ground. Everyone in the plaza just stared, more then a bit confused.

"Tsuyosa! Get the hell offa me!" Chikara hissed. Still grinning, the fire dragon complied. "You go around terrorizing citizens and expect a welcome wagon? You're a simple-minded as ever." He said, standing and brushing himself off.

"And you still have a stick up your ass." Tsuyosa mumbled, standing as well. "And I wasn't terrorizing anyone! I was doing my Godly duty and protecting the future Fire Lord!"

"Completely forgetting that there's a _war_ going on mostly between these two nations! You idiotic Shen-Long**(1)**!" Chikara yelled back.

"King De!" the general cried, giving a deep bow. The two stopped immediately.

"King…_De_?" Sokka asked slowly, watching as the others in the plaza bowed as well. Chicora laughed nervously.

"Oh, right. I guess I forgot."

"You _forgot_ you were _King_ of the Earth Kingdom!" Tsuyosa hissed.

"Umm, maybe it would be better if we continued this back at the palace. General Naru," he said, turning to the old general.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Would you please escort us to the palace?" Standing slowly, Naru gave a confused glance to Zuko.

"M'lord, what are we to do with the firebender?" he asked cautiously.

"He is to come as well. If he truly has come to overthrow the Fire Lord, we have much to discuss. Besides," he smiled at Aang, "I do not think the Avatar would appreciate having his friend killed."

* * *

"YOU'RE THE KING OF THE EARTH KINGDOM?" Tsuyosa shouted less then a second after the great doors to the dining hall shut. The two dragons sat at the ends of the gigantic table; Zuko and Aang to Tusyosas right, Sokka and Katara to Chikaras.

"I somehow don't like the seating arrangements **(2)**…" Zuko mumbled.

"What's the matter with them?" Aang asked.

"It's a formal thing. I'll explain later."

"I had to do something for the twenty years we've been waiting. Is it my fault the Earth Kingdom offered me the throne and I took it?"

"Yes." All of them answered.

"Well, it is the dragons' duty to slowly join into society while we wait for the Avatar." He pointed out.

"Yes, but not by becoming a_ KING_! I thought we agreed that you would take the job of Blacksmith!"

"And I was. But my extravagant Earthbending made me king. Why is this so hard to grasp?" Chikara asked calmly.

"Because we're on a dead-line and things are getting worse by the day! Chikara, I saw one. I saw a demon near the Fire Nation! Sozan is getting closer." The earthbenders eyes widened.

"This soon? We were told at least a few more months!"

"I sent it back. So we have maybe a month."

"You expected a demon to follow a time line? Even a human knows that won't work." Zuko cut in.

"So, I have a month to learn two more elements?" Aang asked, feeling a bit sick. It had taken him a month to learn one!

"Less then that. We still need to get to the Fire Nation and rescue my uncle and crew."

"Could you please not talk of rescuing wanted Firebenders inside these walls? You're lucky you got in here, don't make things worse." Chikara sighed. He closed his eyes, thinking deeply.

"Maybe…" He said, eyes still closed, "Maybe if you take two classes at once. You just have to _learn_ Earthbending first. So if I teach you the basics in the morning, and Zuko and Tsuyosa teach you the basics in the afternoon, it'll still follow the rules." There was a tense silence as they considered this. It might work.

"Okay." Aang said.

"Afternoon would be best anyway, the suns stronger." Zuko pointed out. Nodding in agreement, the group stood.

"I heard the Avatar was here, and had rooms prepared. But I didn't expect more then two people, so if some of you wouldn't mind sharing…"

"With _Who_?" Zuko and Sokka asked.

* * *

"I hate you." Zuko sneered, flopping face-first onto one of the small beds.

"It's not like I like this either!" Sokka snapped, throwing his sleeping bag and other supplies in the corner. "But what else could've happened?"

"You're brother and sister, right? You could've stayed with the waterbender." The firebender sighed.

"Ohh, I get it. You wanted to stay with Tsuyosa."

That bastard was so lucky the Avatar cared about him.

"It is nothing like that. I just would've preferred not having to stay with _you_." He hissed. It was true, he kinda _cared_ for Tsuyosa, but it was nothing like love.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that you act a lot nicer to her then others. Some could take that the wrong way."

No reply.

"Scarface?" Sokka asked, walking over to the prince. The other teen was facing away from him, eyes closed and breathing lightly.

Completely and utterly asleep.

"Hmm… I should let him sleep. He must be a bit tired after that demon and the guards…" Grinning, he ran over and grabbed a few red berries they had found earlier. "Of course, I do have to consider who he is." For half a second he wondered if this would be too mean, but soon shoved it from his mind.

It was just a joke.

* * *

"Guys? Time to get up! Zuko, Tsuyosa asked you to come up with what you want to teach A-" Katara stopped mid-sentence as she opened the door.

Wrapped in the bed sheets, covered in what seemed to be blood, was Sokka. In the other bed, Zuko lay sleeping, the same red all over his hands.

She screamed.

"Uh-Wah? What the! Stop yelling! What the hell is wrong with you?" Zuko yelled, sitting up.

"Sa-You-Your hands!" Katara managed. Confused, the firebender looked at the red staining his fingers. It was thin and crusted, kind of sticky and the first thought was blood.

A laugh was heard from across the room.

"Aw-Oh man! You should see your faces!" Sokka gasped, clutching his stomach.

"Sok- SOKKA! YOU JERK!" Kataras demeanor quickly changed from relief to anger as she stormed over to her brother. "HOW DARE YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT! I WAS ABOUT TO KILL ZUKO!"

"You were?"

"Oh, c'mon Katara! It was just a joke!"

For the next five minutes, loud punching and screaming noises echoed from the room.

* * *

"Do I want to know what happened to Sokka?" Tsuyosa asked as the three entered the dining hall, the poor water tribesman covered in bruises.

"No." Katara and Zuko said in unison, sitting down. The three holy beings looked nervous before deciding to let it go.

"Right. Anyway, Zuko, did you come up with anything to teach Aang. I don't think I can go back to the basics that easily…"

"In other words you want me to teach him today."

"I'm glad we understand each other! I'll take over once he's got the simple stuff down." The dragon smiled, stuffing a large chunk of raw meat into her mouth. The four humans watched in mild disgust as they watched the two dragons. Apparently, food poisoning was non-existent to them. Luckily, there was normal food, too.

"Wow! I haven't had this stuff in ages" Aang grinned, scarfing down a plate of strange purple and blue leaves.

"I'm glad you like it." Chikara smiled. Sokka and Katara were also enjoying some South-Pole specialties, and Zuko was eating some sort of meat; looking happy even if he was trying not to.

"We get a lot of food from different nations by way of refugees. And some of the Earth Kingdom towns bring Fire Nation supplies." The earthbender explained, not that they were listening.

"Hey Zuko, what's that?" Aang asked.

"Rhino meat." The prince answered simply. Aang, who had seen a few rhinos and was strictly promised not only never to eat meat, but not to eat anything that he had seen, quietly wished he hadn't asked.

* * *

"Okay, Avatar-"

"Could you call me Aang?" the airbender asked from across the courtyard. Chikara sighed.

"Sorry, sorry. Okay, _Aang_, we're going to star with just moving rock." The earthbender demonstrated by lifting a huge boulder and slowly setting it back down. Cheers were heard from atop the courtyard wall.

Word of the Avatar and the future Fire Lord had spread quickly, and people gathered to watch as Aang learned the last elements. This, in turn, made Aang a bit nervous. And apparently, there were going to be more for the Firebending demonstration.

"The key to earthbending," Chikara went on, "is mostly strength. Unlike Air and Water, Earth and Fire are offensive elements. Kicks, punches, lifting and pulling are demanded. All you have to do is imagine lifting the rock, and after a few tries, it should-"

"I'm Doing It!" eyes widened and gasps were heard as Aang held a nicely sized rock over his head.

"Wow. Um, okay. I was planning on just figuring that out today. Let's go on to the next one."

In the next two hours, Aang had learned to lift relatively sized boulders, create sand, and draw out hills and holes.

"Well, that's good for today, no? Ready for lunch?" Aang nodded tiredly, and the two retreated inside. Chikara promising the townsfolk the firebending would be in about an hour.

* * *

"How's the Avatar doing?" Zuko asked. He was alone at the table, and had apparently just finished eating.

"He's the Avatar, I should have expected as much. He ran though my first three lessons in just over two hours." Chikara laughed, him and Aang sitting.

"Tsuyosa and the others went out to the town. They shouldn't be back until around sunset." Zuko explained.

"There sure are a lot of people out there. What's so exciting about firebending, anyway?" Aang asked.

"This is the first firebending they've seen that's not aimed at them. Besides, Zuko's the new Fire Lord, they want to see if he's good or not." The two went a bit quiet.

Cheers and boo's were mixed as the two former enemies stepped out into the courtyard. Chikara had fixed the ground to be level so as not to intrude on the lesson, and had also taken the liberty of getting rid of all grass. A fire was not needed.

"Okay, first lesson," reaching into a bag he had brought, Zuko place three candles on the ground and lit them.

"What are those for?" Aang asked.

"All I want you to do is change the size of the flame. It's simple enough, and a common practice tool." The people in the crowds stared strangely, feeling cheated.

"But I don't even know what firebending is! How am I supposed to control it?"

"_C'mon! We want to see some fire_!" a man in the crowd yelled. Zuko glared.

"_**Well I guess you wasted your time! This is training, not a sporting event! If anyone here wants blood, I'll call you when we have an Agni-Kai!**_" he yelled back. Silence.

"You want to know what firebending is, right?" Zuko asked, turning back to Aang. The airbender nodded.

"I can usually control it once I know what to do." He explained. The firebender thought for a moment.

"Firebending is… hm, it's mostly a feeling of anger." He said matter-of-fact.

"How are you supposed to copy that?"

"That's the thing. Most firebenders only use firebending to protect themselves or others. We live in a time of war and know it's kill or be killed. If you face down your opponent, you know only on of you is getting out alive."

"But there was firebending before the war! How did they do that then?" Aang pleaded. He had a very hard time being angry, and there had to be another way.

"The only person here alive a hundred years ago is you and Tsuyosa, and that dragon was in the heavens then."

"You haven't been angry all the time. How do you firebend?" Zuko was feeling like he was being interrogated. That was it, no children, and no teaching from now on.

"I just watch the flame. I picture the fire coming from my hand or growing bigger. Then I follow through with the action and-"

A sudden red light filled the courtyard, causing onlookers to awe.

Aang was glowing.

"I get it…" he whispered, voice slightly echoed. Raising his fist, it ignited at shot at the farthest wall. The light soon disappeared and the boy smiled.

"What just happened?" Zuko asked bluntly.

"I asked Avatar Roku what firebending was. It's simple." He wobbled a bit before sitting back on the ground, wiped out from his Avatar spirit.

"Firebending, Zuko, is courage."

* * *

BEHOLD!

Aang now knows earth and firebending! It's my simple way of two birds with one stone. And I'm sorry if this is yet again corny with the "courage" thing. But I just can't see Aang getting angry or filled with hate (yet).

**(1)**- First try at Chinese, please don't kill me! If this is anything close to my information, it should be close to "God-Dragon"

**(2)**- Okay, history lesson, everyone! When sitting a table in royal times, sitting to the right of the king showed that the king was of higher status. Meaning since they were sitting to the right of the dragons, Chikara and Tsuyosa were more important then them.

R&R!


	18. Night

A/N- Okay, before you kill or flame or insert a virus into my computer, I'd like to apologize for being so late in updating! But on the bright side, a lot of stuff happened, such as finding out who the evil woman was, one of the funniest episodes of Avatar, I learned how to make AMVs, and, I started High School!

So, find it in your hearts to not kill me?

* * *

**CHAPTER 17- Night**_

* * *

_

_Courage. What a ridiculous thought._

Zuko frowned as he stared at the ceiling. Chikara or De or whatever his name was had been kind enough to have more rooms prepared, giving all of them privacy. So of course now that it was quiet enough to get a good nights sleep, he found it impossible.

Damn Avatar.

_Sure, he was able to firebend. I guess it's plausible, but it doesn't have nearly enough strength as anger. When he gets scared, and all his courage is gone, that's when he'll need firebending, and it won't be there. The poor boy needs to figure that out!_

Rolling to the side, he closed his eyes tightly. He was tired, but he just couldn't sleep! He was beginning to hate kids. A lot.

_It's not like this is a big deal. It's just that if he dies, it'll be a hell of a headache finding the next one. Of course, that one will be water, and there can't be that many. Just the north and south…_

Damn Avatar.

* * *

Over in Aangs room, sleeping was proving to be anything but difficult. He was having trouble staying awake.

He sat crossed-legged in front of three carefully placed candles, a determined look on his face.

_Focus…focus… Wow, focusing makes you really tire-_

"GYA!" Aang yelled, throwing his fists up in anger. Almost immediately, the tiny flames burst, destroying half of each candle. The airbender sighed.

"Stupid fire, always exploding." He mumbled, standing up and blowing out the poor wax sticks. Removing his shirt and shoes, he climbed into the very large bed arranged for him.

He wanted to learn firebending, and he seemed to be very good at it. This didn't surprise him much, though. He was the Avatar, and it was only natural for the elements to come easily to him. What bothered him was the fact that since he started learning, things had become very tense. Chikara was always mumbling to himself and some of the people in the castle about having to work on the possibility of a large Fire Nation raid, bigger then the one General Iroh led. Sokka kept avoiding him and Katara never looked happy, she always seemed scared. Zuko was growing impatient with the training, saying that it was going too slow and that they should just forget earthbending, concentrating on firebending. This in turn caused a lot of meals to be filled with arguments between him and Chikara, who said if they were to cut out an element, it should be fire.

The only one that was relatively normal was Tsuyosa, who just seemed to sleep more. Aang had even caught her sound asleep in the dining hall when everyone else was out site-seeing, face buried in a half-eaten platter of platypusbear meat. Aang had asked if it had anything to do with the comet getting closer, but the dragon shrugged it off and quickly suggested a game of pai-cho. The airbender couldn't remember if he ever brought the subject up again.

* * *

Katara lay in her bed, sleeping quietly, and Tsuyosa smiled a little. Even though there were plenty of rooms, the waterbender still slept with the dragon, saying "It's nice, kinda like a sleepover."

It had never crossed her mind that much, but tonight Tsuyosa couldn't help but think of what all of this mess had done to Katara. She and her brother had grown up without a mother or father; she even doubted their grandmother helped a lot. Maybe for a bit of support and normal caretaker stuff, but not a parent.

"That must've sucked." Tsuyosa whispered under her breath. For as long as she could remember, even she had had something of a family. Yugasa, Chikara, and Junsuisa had all been her siblings in a way. And the Royal Dragons, Lord Yami and Lady Hikari, were always going to be her parents. Without them, Tsuyosa didn't know what she would do.

"But…Now things are getting…complicated…" looking up at the large window taking up over half the wall, Tsuyosa got up and walked over to it, carefully opening it and climbing out onto the ledge. The window did not have a balcony, but the goddess had the balance of the, well, gods.

"Hm, the moon's dark; red, like blood." Staring across the courtyard to the opposite building, she saw the dark window to the room where Zuko was sleeping. She could just see dark shadows moving, and a small candle flickering in the room next to it; Aangs.

"It seems no one's sleeping tonight." Craning her neck up as far as it would go, she cracked a grin at the ominous red moon, and took a step forward, off the ledge.

"_It seems no one's aware…"_

* * *

A/N- Aieeee, this was so short! I'm so sorry about this, guys!

R&R, please!


	19. Raknar Lilies

A/N- 00;;;; Aiee, I didn't know people were actually waiting that badly! I'm sorry again, and I'm trying my best to get longer chapters, but I'm a bit out of practice!

To **Lady of Fire and Darkness**, who has apparently waited a long time for me to get my ass back at the computer. I will try to make the chapters either longer, or update faster.

* * *

CHAPTER 18: Raknar Lilies

* * *

Yawning, Katara sat up, lazily throwing her feet over the edge of her bed.

"Good morning, Tsuyosa." She said, stretching. Blinking, she stopped when there was no response.

"I guess she already went down to breakfast." She concluded and began to get dressed.

Down in the dining hall, the pressure was immense. Everybody but Sokka looked as if they were going to explode at the drop of a fork. Even Aang seemed tense.

"G'Mornin', Kathara!" Sokka greeted with a mouthful of food. "Wheths Thuyotha?"

"I thought she would be down here…" Zuko and Aang looked up slightly.

"I'm sure she's just out in the woods or something. Tsuyosa never really like cities that much. Preferred villages, less property damage with all those trees." Chikara said simply. A sharp screeching of wood on tile alerted them to Zuko's leaving.

"Zuko?" the firebender didn't even turn to glare, and just left.

"Zuko wait up!" Aang called and ran after him.

"Ah, Aang?" Katara asked, left staring at the large doors now left open to the outside.

"Sit down and eat, Katara, they won't be back for a while."

* * *

"Stop following me."

"I'm just as worried about Tsuyosa."

"Who said anything about Tsuyosa?" Zuko yelled, turning to face Aang.

"You left just as Chikara said Tsuyosa was in the forest, and that's where you're heading now." Aang stated, flinching just barely under the firebenders glare.

"Who says I'm going to the forest!" Zuko said defensively. Aang crossed his arms in a know-it-all fashion that looked very awkward on him.

"We just passed the last store and we're standing at the forest's edge right now." The prince was quiet, then turned and walked into the line of trees.

"I'm not looking for that stupid dragon." He stated.

"Of course." Aang smiled, following.

_

* * *

_

_Damn it Damn it Damn it Damn it all to the seven layers of HELL!_

Zuko thought violently. He had been walking though the forest for almost two hours and had just then lost the Avatar. Stupid idiot kid couldn't tell he just wanted to be alone. Finally, though, he had been able to run and jump fast enough that the airbender lost track.

Now, alone at last, he could find what he was looking for: a Raknar lily.

That's right; he was looking for a flower.

Now you see why he wanted to be alone.

The Raknar lily was not a normal flower, though. It was one of the rarest and grew mostly around Ba-Sen-Se, making it even rarer to firebenders. He had always wanted to see a real one ever since his sister showed him one in a book.

_Damn it._

* * *

"_But father!"_

"_Silence! Do you dare to doubt my judgment, prince Zuko?" the Fire Lord asked, glaring at his son. Zuko lowered his head._

"_N-no." he answered._

**_Zula isn't fit to be an heir. She is untrustworthy! She is no ruler; she shall turn on the Fire Nation as soon as something goes wrong! She lusts only for power!_**

_Zuko gave an inaudible sigh as he bowed and left. It was Zula's lust for power that probable let his father chose her for Zuruis replacement. She was just like him, though she didn't try to hide her evil intentions. Zuko was just lucky that she was the second heir and he was the first, meaning all he had to do was stay alive and the Fire Nation would be fine._

"_What the-!"_

_Zuko just barely ducked as a fireball flew over him. Turning, he heard a small female's voice curse and the sound of footsteps running away._

**_Staying alive might prove to be difficult, though. That's the third attempt this week!_**

_Sighing, he walked back to his room, making sure to lock the door before flopping back on the bed. He remembered the times when Shinsetsu would come and talk with him after Zurui tortured him like Zula does now. He missed Shinsetsu._

_Rolling onto his side, he spotted a book he had begun reading. His uncle had brought it, and it listed all of the native animals and plants around the Earth Kingdom. Zula had burned most of the pages when he had showed it to her, including the one that explained the rarest flower in all the world; the Raknar lily. Luckily, he had read about where to find it and what it looked like, but their were certain things he was interested in, like how much one would go for in the Fire Nation._

* * *

Zuko splashed his face in what seemed to be the main stream that ran thought the forest, quickly drying his face with his sleeve. He, like most firebenders, despised water, but it did help him wake up. And after a few restless nights, that was a good thing.

"It's getting late." He thought aloud.

"_I search within my self, and still don't see..."_ Zuko turned at the voice, and jumped when he saw Tsuyosa walking along the riverbed, a bouquet of Raknar lilies in her hands.

"Oh, Hey, Zuko!" she greeted, waving. As she got closer, his eyes widened. She was covered in cuts and bruises, and he swore she was limping slightly.

"What the hell happened! Where were you!" he yelled. Tsuyosa merely waved the question aside and shoved the bundle in his face.

"Look'it! Raknar lilies! Can you believe it? I found a whole field of 'em!" annoyed, Zuko hit the flowers away and glared.

"Yes they're very pretty but that doesn't answer my question!" Tsuyosa pouted slightly.

"Well, _we're_ prissy today, aren't we? That's what happens when you over think thi-"

"**ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!**" the dragon flinched.

"Jeez, jeez, alright already! I was out training! Got a problem with that?"

"Couldn't you have warned us? I thought something happened!" they both went quiet as Zuko realized what he a said.

_Damn it._

"Aww! That's so sweet!" Tsuyosa said, hugging the prince, who immediately pushed away from the deranged dragon.

"Shut up! I wasn't worried! It was your stupid dragon friend and the Avatar! I couldn't care less what happened!" he yelled defiantly! Tsuyosa smiled and released the prince.

"I know, don't worry." Zuko glared.

"C'mon, I'm hungry! I hope Chikara left some Platapusbear!" the goddess exclaimed as she and Zuko began walking back.

"They probably finished breakfast long ago."

"Then we'll be just in time for lunch!"

"That's in half an hour."

"….Do you always have to be a sourpuss?"

"I guess it just comes to me."

* * *

**Meanwhile…. Back with Aang…..**

"Zuko! Zuko, come on! I'm Hungry!"

* * *

A/N- Crap, this didn't turn out as long as I'd hoped, but if you could forgive me, please R&R! 


	20. Dear Readers

Dear Readers,

I am sorry to say that things in my house have become a little hetic, and I don't feel that I can continue this story to its full potential at this time. Guardian and Kiso are my two most prized stories I have been honered to come up with, and I will not write them hap-hazardly. Doing so would be rediculas.

Along with life in general, I have random one-shots that I have to write. Either because I promised friends or because they're bugging the hell out of me. So if you see a Naruto piece here or there, do NOT think you can start yelling at me to update, because I **won't**.

Maybe this seems selfish or rude or whatever, but I honestly don't care. Tsuyosa is my favorite character, and shows up in more stories then Guardian. Avatar is one of my favorite shows, and don't want to ruin things. I refuse to do anything that will mess with either of these.

I hope to update eventually, because I swore that I would finish this story. I will keep my promise, no matter how long it takes.

Sincerely,

Tsuyosa

Devin


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